Bella Hale
by JulesSC
Summary: Six year old Isabella Swan was orphaned after a car crash took her parents away, and Edward and the Cullens find her. Alice decides to keep her, and Edward tries to protect her. Family drama and hilarity ensues as Bella grows up and ExB happens.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__Like I said, I'm totally crazy. I was reading some stories about Bella being a baby and knowing the Cullens, and decided that I wanted to do one of my own. So here she is, at age six, going on seven, after a tragedy. Carlisle and Edward found her. I know this has been done plenty of times, but I couldn't help it. I loved baby Bella and awkward vampire Edward. So here it is, don't torch me for leaving my other fics because I'm still going to update. It's the holidays now so I get to update daily. Thank you for reading._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Bella, Edward_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I don't know what happened. First my mom and dad were happy, and we were going to the annual carnival. Then everything went blank.

It was so scary, and I wanted my mom. She always knew what to say when I'm scared. But I couldn't find her. My head was in pain-it was throbbing so badly. I started to cry.

"Shh, it's alright, you're safe," someone said.

Who was that? I've never head that voice before. It sounded…Like velvet. Instantly, I calmed. I tried to open my eyes and saw a pair of golden eyes, looking at me with concern and…Alarm?

"Mommy?" I whispered. I don't think my voice was loud enough. My throat was too sore. I swallowed painfully and opened my mouth to try again.

Before I could, though, the same voice said, "She's not here right now. It's alright. I'll be right here. You're safe."

I nodded my head, then stopped because it hurt too much. I studied him now. He was older than me. He had the strangest hair-brown and red mixed together. Copper, I realized. His skin was white, and his features were sharp. His eyes were golden.

"Golden," I whispered, and he froze. I didn't know why. I liked golden.

"Carlisle," this angel said. "She's awake."

I felt something cold touch my forehead and tore my gaze away from the angel. "Hello, Bella," someone-Carlisle-said, smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back. He had the same eyes as the angel. He looked the same somehow, though he was blond, and older looking than the angel.

"Are you an angel, too?" I asked him curiously.

Carlisle broke into laughter. "No, not quite. I'm a doctor, Isabella-"

I shook my head. "Bella," I corrected him firmly.

"Bella," he repeated with a smile. "I'm going to make sure you feel better, alright?"

I nodded my head. I turned back to look at my angel. He looked so sad. Why? I reached out to touch his nose, and giggled when it was as cold as Carlisle's hand. My angel looked shocked.

Then I remembered my mommy and daddy. "Where's my mommy and my daddy?" I asked him. My angel wouldn't look at me anymore. Is he mad at me? I continued to gaze at him, my bottom lip quivering, my eyes filling up with tears.

When he saw this, he panicked. With gentle hands, he wiped away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. "Shh, Bella, don't cry," he whispered urgently. "Are you in pain?"

I shook my head, but a sob broke free. "You're mad at me," I said, cringing into the pillow propped up behind me.

He looked shocked again. "Why would you say that?" he asked, confused.

"You won't look at me. Daddy does that when he's mad at me," I explained.

My angel smiled sadly, and shook his head. "It's not that, Bella," he whispered, leaning in closer to rest his chin on my pillow. "Will you promise me you won't be angry if I tell you?"

I nodded my head, eager to know.

"Do you know what heaven is?"

I scrunched up my nose in concentration. I got it! A few months ago, grandma went to heaven. Mommy was crying and I thought she was upset, and she said she was, but she was happy, too, because grandma's in heaven, and she's happy there. "My grandma went to heaven," I told him proudly. "Mommy was very sad because she couldn't see grandma anymore, but she told me not to cry. She said grandma was happy in heaven because she would get everything she wants there. So we should be happy, too."

My angel nodded slightly, "Bella…"

He shot a helpless look at Carlisle, who sat tentatively on the edge of my bed. "Your mom and your dad-they went to heaven, too," he told me quietly.

I considered this. So they were happy? But…That would mean that I wouldn't get to see them anymore! Just like I couldn't see grandma! "But they didn't even tell me goodbye," I protested, tears falling down my cheeks. "And I'm little!"

My angel enveloped me in a hug and I fell into him, sobbing. I wanted my parents. I didn't want them to go to heaven. If they stayed with me, they would be happy, too.

"Shh, it's alright, Bella, I'll protect you."

I continued to cry into his shoulder. I knew I should be happy that my parents were in heaven. They were happy now, and would get everything they want. They were probably with grandma. I was just sad that I was never going to see them again, or get to tell them goodbye or anything. I missed them.

"Edward," Carlisle said quietly, as soon as I was done sobbing. Edward? Was someone else in the room?

"Yes, you should check with Child Services. That's a good idea," my angel replied. I realized that Edward was probably his name. Child Services? I frowned. What was that?

I didn't notice when Carlisle left, I was too comfortable in Edward's arms. Then it occurred to me. I'm little! Both my parents went away to heaven already. Where am I going to live?

"Edward?" I called out tentatively, pulling back to look into his golden eyes again. His eyes were the same shade, the same color as Carlisle's, but the depth was different. His was…More intense. More beautiful. I felt very safe with him.

"Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow at me. He looked so serious that I started to giggle. He looked at me, amused. "What's so funny, Bella?"

I shook my head, and buried my head against his shoulder, the giggled growing stronger.

"Well I like her already," I heard a booming voice. I jumped, startled, and looked around in panic.

"Oh, Emmett, you scared her," came a gentle chiding. My stomach clenched-that voice reminded me of my mother. I looked for its source and found a beautiful woman, her brown hair cascading down her back, her amber eyes glowing as she came closer to me. I settled back in my bed, watching as she entered the room. Four others followed her.

I scrutinized them. There was a large man, with heavy muscles and dark hair. His face was happy, though, like a little child. He reminded me of Pluto, in those Popeye cartoons my dad loved to watch.

Next to him was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I smiled at her shyly, and received a tentative smile back. She was blonde, and tall, and looked like the women on my mom's magazines.

A tall, blonde man stood next to her, his arm wrapped around another girl. He was looking at me apprehensively, but I thought I caught the hint of a smile playing around his lips.

Then there was a smaller, shorter girl, with spiky hair. She was bouncing on her feet, and her excitement was so obvious I started to giggle again. She smiled widely at me and leaned over the bed to kiss me on the cheek. I blushed and squirmed, but waved slightly at them all.

"She's adorable!" the spiky haired girl burst out, dancing over to Edward.

"Alice," he warned. She pouted and I grinned. She looked like I did whenever my mom told me I couldn't have ice-cream before dinner.

I wondered what they were all here for, and why they looked so excited.

"Child Services won't be able to send someone until Monday," Carlisle announced, stepping into the room. He smiled at the sight of everyone. "I see you've met Bella."

"Is that her name?" the big man asked. His laughter was infectious. "I like it."

"Now, now, Emmett," said the woman who reminded me of my mother.

Carlisle turned to Edward, eyebrows raised. "Does she know who everyone is?" he asked. Edward shook his head, realizing this, and started to explain.

"This is Carlisle and Esme," he gestured to the motherly figure. "They're my parents." I waved at them shyly. If it was possible, Esme's smile widened even further. "These are my sister and brother, Alice and Emmett, and these are Rosalie and Jasper," he told me, pointing to the spiky haired girl, Pluto, the blonde girl and the blonde guy.

"We're all a family," Carlisle added.

I nodded my head, then my gaze dropped. I still didn't know what'll happen to me. I hadn't gotten the chance to ask Edward yet.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Jasper asked, and I looked up, startled.

My eyes had already filled with tears so I couldn't see them clearly. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, but the tears fell to my cheeks instead. "Where am I gonna go?" I whispered, grabbing the thin sheet on the bed and holding it tighter around me.

"Oh," Alice said, and her eyes closed. When she opened them again, I think I detected sadness and a little bit of happiness.

"No, Alice," Edward growled. I blinked at him. Alice hadn't said anything…

"Please?" Alice whined. "She would like it with us."

I felt myself blush and my eyes lighting up at this. "You want me to stay with you?" I asked Alice.

She nodded her head excitedly and climbed on the bed. I giggled at her enthusiasm, but fell into her gentle hug nonetheless. "We could be like sisters," Alice said, ignoring Edward's angry glares. "Oh, I can't wait to start preparing your room…Let's see…Does blue suit you? Yes, I think it does…"

I don't even think I was present in her one-sided conversation, so I turned towards Edward, who was scowling at Alice. My heart dropped when I realized what he was so upset about. "You don't want me to stay with you," I accused him, my bottom lip trembling.

Edward blinked, and stopped scowling. He looked a little panicked that I might start crying again, and that just made me sadder. I felt the first tears started to escape from behind my eyelids. Edward uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. "That's not it, Bella," he whispered urgently, shaking his head.

But I turned away from him. He looked so sad. He really didn't want me there.

"See what you did, Edward?" Rosalie snapped. I started to sob. This was all very embarrassing. I didn't want to be the little girl who started to cry about everything, but I couldn't help it.

Before I knew it, I was out of my bed. I blinked in shock to see Esme cradling me in her arms, shushing me soothingly, and glaring at Edward at the same time. He hung his head, and I felt bad for him. I was being silly, and his family was blaming him for it.

"Sorry," I whispered. It was too soft for him to hear-Esme and I weren't even anywhere near him. But he raised his head and gave me a little crooked smile anyway. I felt myself grin back, my tears disappearing.

Esme's hand was rubbing my back soothingly. "Well, she really has nowhere else to go. I think it would be a good idea if she came to live with us until Monday," she said softly. I wrapped my arms around Esme's neck and rested my head on her shoulder, my eyelids drooping.

"What about-"

I didn't hear the rest. I was already in deep slumber, dreaming of my last hours with my parents.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I was going to kill Alice. How could she even suggest this in the first place? I knew what she saw in her vision-Bella being in our house, playing on the floor with Emmett happily, while the rest of us watched. Yes, it looked like a good time, but seriously? We were a family of vampires. She was a child. A human child. One temptation too many…One of us could kill her.

Carlisle and I shouldn't even have been there. We'd ventured into the woods for hunting, and we'd had a satisfying meal. I was just taking a rest when I heard the screeching. Carlisle and I had run off towards the road not far from the woods and saw the wreckage. It was so bad that I didn't think anyone could survive.

Bella survived, and she was a true miracle. I admit, she has a certain draw to her. Her blood…It smelled refreshing, like freesia. It wasn't strong, since she was so small, still a child. But what would happen if she got hurt and cut herself or something?

Not only Jasper, but any one of us could lose control. We couldn't take that risk.

Of course, Carlisle would be able to refrain himself, but he was one vampire against six if it ever happened.

_Calm down, Edward, it's only for a few days_, Rosalie had thought, exasperated with my moody behavior. She was still unforgiving towards me for making Bella cry in her hospital room. The truth was, she was excited. Bella was a little girl, so human, so soft, so warm…She was the daughter Esme and Rosalie never had, the sister Jasper and Emmett always wanted. Carlisle was intrigued, and taken by her. I had to admit she had charm-a button nose, brown hair, big brown eyes…She was perfect.

The only flaw I could think of was flabbergasting-I couldn't read her mind. She was blank. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read a single one of her thoughts. When I voiced this worry to Carlisle when Bella was asleep, he'd given me a few theories. One being she had been through a traumatic incident. But I had been around people who had gone through terrible things. Their minds were unfocused, but I could still hear every fleeting thought. Carlisle suggested that it was because she was a child-but I could read the minds of infants, never mind six year old girls. They might not make much sense, but it was still there.

She was perfectly human, though, and nothing seemed to be wrong with her mind or body, nor with my talent when unleashed on others. Carlisle told me not to worry about it excessively.

"We'll figure it out in time," he'd told me jovially.

That meant he planned on having Bella around for some time.

But we couldn't. We could harm her. And I'd seen the vision in Alice's head before she blocked me with an Avril Lavigne song. I rolled my eyes at that. Of all the music she could have chosen!

The point was, Bella had been older during that vision. She was probably nine or ten. Her hair was longer, her legs were longer. Subtle differences, but I could tell.

That meant that she would be in our lives for longer than just this weekend. I sighed. Alice had picked one lousy song after another to recite in her head. I wondered what she wasn't telling me.

Carlisle and Esme were just finishing up on the paperwork to take Bella home with us until Monday. We were all waiting in Carlisle's office. Bella was in Rosalie's lap, playing with her blonde hair and poking at Rosalie's arms and face as much as she could reach. Rosalie didn't mind-in fact, every thought she had was of how adorable and beautiful this precious human child was.

I rolled my eyes again, but kept my tongue. Not having a child of her own because of what she was had taken its toll on Rosalie. This was a once in a lifetime thing for her. Of course, it was only going to get worse when we would have to give Bella to social services. I don't care what the vision said. I wasn't going to allow Bella to be harmed in any way.

"Your protective nature's already kicking in," Jasper said suddenly, startling me. Almost everyone looked at me then. Only Bella continued playing with Rosalie's hair idly. She was still grumpy after being woken by her hunger after a few minutes of sleeping in Esme's arms. She had yet to receive her food since Esme wasn't back.

"What?" I asked warily.

"You're already wanting to protect her, Edward," Jasper told me, smirking. "You won't be able to let her go that easily."

I shook my head, defiant. "I still know that we _can't_," I whispered the last part. "We are what we are. Am I the only one who remembers that?"

"No, you're not," Rosalie snapped, causing Bella to jump. I shut my mouth quickly, silently berating myself for upsetting Rosalie.

Carlisle cleared his throat behind us and I turned, guiltily. "We're all set to go home," he said gently, smiling at Bella. She waved at him tiredly.

"I have food, Bella," Esme announced, stepping into the room. She brightened up and struggling to a sitting position. Rosalie helped her. I watched as Esme handed her a tiny bag of fries. Bella's small hand dug into the bag eagerly and pulled out a few fries. She munched on them happily.

I smiled a little at the sight of that. She was very easily pleased. I suppose that's because she was just a child. The others were watching her eat as well, and she blushed when she realized this.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, looking around confusedly.

That brought me back to reality, and I frowned, grimacing.

Jasper cleared his throat and shook his head, smiling. "No," he said. I heard a little of his Southern accent coming out. "We've already eaten. You go ahead, Bella, it's okay," he urged her reassuringly.

Bella took his word and begun to eat again.

I just stared at her, this girl, whose mind I can't penetrate, whose existence drew me forward, whose smile charmed my entire family into wanting to adopt her…I sighed again.

This was going to be interesting.

******************************************************************************

_Like I said, this was probably done a million times before, but I just loved the idea. I thought about an eight year old Bella having Edward wrapped around her tiny little finger, and had to write this._

_Tell me what you think-was this how you imagined an eight year old Bella? Was Edward OOC? Is this even worth continuing??_

_Good or bad, I expect reviews. Thank you so much to everyone who read._


	2. Thursday Night Surprise

_**A/N: **Wow. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. That was the most reviews I've gotten for a chapter, I think. This is the next chapter, because I simply can't get a tiny Bella having piggyback rides with Edward out of my head. Is that creepy?? Anyway…_

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **Edward, Bella, Alice_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

We went out of the hospital with Bella still munching on her food. I don't see how they're so appealing-it smelt disgusting to me.

Carlisle and Esme wanted to bring Bella home as fast as possible-we had three and a half days with her, and absolutely nothing for her at all. We had to prepare.

Esme went to get groceries, food and necessities. Alice and Jasper went to get things Bella would need- "diapers, change of clothes, the whole she-bang", as Alice had so gracefully put it for me before she'd dashed out of the hospital in her Porsche without a second glance back.

That left Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett with Bella and I. It could be worse.

When Rosalie had stood up from her chair to carry Bella out of the hospital, Bella had protested, flailing her arms out at me and pouting. For the love of all things Holy, I had fallen for it. I gently lifted her from Rosalie's arms and cradled her against my cold chest. Bella had given me a wide smile, blinked up at me, and touched my nose with her small finger again.

I fought the urge to kiss her forehead, and smile at her, or do anything that would suggest I loved having her around. This would only give incentive for my parents and Alice to keep her around longer.

Jasper was right-I was starting to feel protective over her. There was no denying that. But that was nothing more than my pity for her. She was an orphan at the age of six, who had gone through a very traumatic incident. Her charm had nothing to do with that.

I would keep telling myself that until I believe it.

Bella wouldn't sit with anyone else during the car ride home, wailing the moment I passed her on to someone else. I scowled, stepping into the back seat with Bella in my lap, smiling contentedly.

Emmett chuckled at this, and I merely glared at him. "Cheer up, bro. She likes you," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and looked down at the little girl. She _was _incredibly beautiful. I still couldn't read her mind, though, and that annoyed me more than it scared me. She was just a human, after all. Baffling as it was, I don't think she posed a threat to us. We, on the other hand, could harm her in so many different ways.

Just her presence among us was dangerous. We, especially Jasper, had been able to hold back for so long because we'd not only gone on our hunts recently, and because Bella was still a child. Her scent was very weak, and had little effect on us. Even so, I could feel the temptation, no matter how small, every time I caught a whiff of her freesia scent.

I couldn't even begin to explain the dangers on her life if other vampires found out about her.

"Edward?" Bella poked at my shoulder. I blinked down at her, focusing on the present. "Why are your eyes golden?"

I shared a panicked look with Rosalie sitting next to me. We were both helplessly trying to figure out what to tell her. Finally, it was Carlisle in the driver's seat that answered. "It's a family thing, Bella. We all have the same eye color," he explained.

Bella nodded, then frowned. "Does that mean I'm not family?" she inquired, her brown eyes wondering.

"Why do you say that?" Rosalie asked in a motherly voice I had never heard her use before.

"My eyes are not golden."

Rosalie laughed and ruffled Bella's brown locks. "Silly Bella," she said. "Eye color doesn't make you family. We love you, that's all that matters."

Bella brightened up at this. "You love me?"

Rosalie nodded, reaching forward to peck Bella's cheek. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. Good God, can't they see how dangerous that is?

We finally reached the house, and Bella's eyes widened. "You _live _here?" she asked, shocked.

Emmett laughed and nodded his head. "Come on, human girl, let's go inside."

I hissed at Emmett for his choice of words, and he stopped in his tracks, realizing his mistake far too late. Bella was staring at him, confused.

"He's playing around, Bella," Rosalie said quickly. "Emmett likes to do that."

Esme, Alice and Jasper haven't returned from their trips yet, so the house was empty. Rose, Em, Carlisle and I decided to give her a tour of the house.

"This is my room," Rosalie announced as we stepped into the room. Emmett cleared his throat, and she rolled her eyes. "This is _our _room," she amended.

We showed her Alice and Jasper's room, and Carlisle and Esme's room. Then came Jasper's study, and Carlisle's office. There was, of course, the living room, the dining room and the backyard-which Esme had turned into a garden.

My room came last. She smiled when we stepped into the dark interiors of my room. "This is my room," I announced quietly.

Bella squirmed in my grip and I set her down gently on her feet. She took off, running towards the black sofa in the middle of the room. On her way, she tripped on the golden carpet. I chuckled, shaking my head. _Clumsy Bella_, I thought affectionately in my head, before I caught myself. Let's all be thankful that I was the only mind-reader in the house.

I was by her side before she could cry out, and I lifted her off the ground and sat her in the middle of the sofa. "Are you okay?" I asked, checking to see if she's scraped or injured herself. She seemed alright-there was a faint bruise on her knee, though. I couldn't smell any wounds, so I started breathing normally again.

Bella nodded her head, and looked around the room eagerly. It was bare, mostly, except for the sofa we were both seating on, and the music collection I had. The stereo system I just bought was top of the line, too, but I highly doubted Bella would prefer listening to me brag about that.

I could see her eyelids drooping, though. She must be tired after all that excitement since the hospital. After a few moments, her eyes flew open, and she looked around the room with wide eyes. I frowned. She was struggling to stay awake? Why?

I picked up the remote control for the stereo and turned it on. Claire de Lune filled the room, and Bella smiled at me. We listened to the melody for a few seconds, before Bella crawled over to where I was sitting. I looked at her, too shocked to move. I have had more contact with her than I've had with every human I've come across combined. My cold touch, my golden eyes, my pale skin…The things that scare people when I need to, attracted her. She was impossible.

"I like th'song…" she trailed off, yawning. She was barely awake anymore. Bella raised a small fist and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

I chuckled. "Sleep, Bella," I told her. "It's okay."

Bella stared at me for a moment, then she nodded her head, accepting my words. She crawled into my lap, and I held her like I've been doing it for years. Her eyes drifted shut, and a moment later, I could hear her breathing even out, her heartbeat gaining a slow but steady rhythm.

I sighed as I looked down at her angelic face.

Bella, what am I going to do with you?

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

When I woke up, I was still in Edward's room, on his sofa. I really liked his room a lot. It's all golden, just like him. And he has a lot of CDs. The one he put on before I went to sleep was very nice and soothing.

Edward was standing by his window when I woke up. His arms were crossed in front of him, and he was looking at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling because he didn't smile or frown.

I blushed when I realized that he had placed a golden comforter around me. It was the same color as his eyes.

I fingered the soft material and whispered, "Thank you."

When I looked up, Edward gave me a little crooked half-smile. After a moment, he said, "Come on. Let's go downstairs. The others are excited to see you again."

This got me excited, too. I really liked Edward's family. Especially Alice. She's very happy all the time. I liked that.

I made to climb off the sofa but I tripped on the carpet again. I heard Edward's laughter beside me, and for a moment, I was too shocked by his presence. Do adults always walk this fast? Then I heard his laughter-really heard it-and wondered why it sounded so wonderful.

"Come on, silly Bella," he said, gently lifting me into his arms.

I closed my eyes as I yawned slightly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. When I opened my eyes, we were already in the living room. Everyone was there, looking at me. I blushed.

Alice was the first to come up to us. I watched her dance towards us and took me from Edward. "I bought you some things," she said, her amber eyes glinting. I was afraid of what that might meant. I hoped she didn't go to a lot of trouble for me…I didn't want to cause anyone trouble.

"Alice, don't scare her too much with your pixie energy," Jasper teased.

Alice scowled at him, but calmed down slightly nonetheless. She started to speak, but my stomach growled. Everyone in the room grinned, and I couldn't help but think that they had all heard it. I blushed deep red.

Esme chuckled and stepped forward. She smoothed back my hair from my face and smiled tenderly down at me. It reminded me of how my mommy always smiled at me. I blinked up at her. "Are you hungry, Bella?" she asked.

I nodded my head, smiling shyly.

"What would you like to eat?"

I scrunched up my face in concentration. Alice started chuckling, though I didn't know why. I smiled widely, and said, "Can I have cookies?"

Esme laughed at this, and shook her head. "How about I make you a sandwich, and after that I give you some cookies, will that be alright?"

I thought about this. Mommy always said I can't eat cookies before eating a proper meal. So I guess this was alright. I nodded my head. "Okay," I agreed, trying not to sound dejected that I'd have to wait for my treat.

Alice carried me to the couch, and sat down with me in her lap. I started to play with her spiky hair. I liked it. I stared at her in amazement. With her hair, and her eager face, shining eyes, bright smile and tiny body, Alice reminded me of a fairy.

I started to giggle. That would be incredible if I were friends with a fairy.

"What's so funny?" Alice asked, though her smile widened when I laughed. I shook my head, unable to talk because laughter was taking over me. Alice narrowed her eyes at me, and leaned forward. "Won't you tell me?" she asked. I breathed in her sweet scent, and immediately became intoxicated by it. It was nowhere near as amazing as Edward's scent, but it was nice enough.

I shook my head again at Alice's question.

Her grin became impossibly huge, as she raised one clawed hand. "Then I'll just have to tickle it out of you," she cried.

I squealed, laughing harder, squirming to get away from her. But her tickles only became more insistent. I felt her lithe fingers all over my body, making me laugh. I was starting to hiccup now because I'd been laughing so hard for so long.

"Alice, I'm about to die of giggle overload here," Jasper said, laughing almost as hard as I was.

Alice snorted, but stopped tickling me. "Sorry, Jazz," she said sweetly.

I wrapped my arms around Alice's neck and buried my face in her spiky hair, calming myself down.

"Here, dear," I heard Esme said. I turned my face to see her bending over us, a plate of sandwich in one hand and a glass of water in another.

I took the water first and gulped down a few sips to get rid of the hiccups, then I started on the sandwich.

Alice and Rosalie played with me while I ate, Esme would reach over and smooth out my hair, and Emmett and Jasper kept making jokes. I hiccupped so much I had to drink two glasses of water to calm down. Carlisle smiled a lot, and made me think of my dad. Edward was the only one who kept his distance. Whenever I looked over at him, though, he would smile a crooked smile, and I would blush a little, and everything would be okay. But why didn't he say anything or do anything?

Finally, I was done with the sandwich and my cookies.

Alice started to bounce in her seat. "Bella, do you want to see what I've bought for you?" she asked excitedly.

Despite the dread I felt at having someone buying something for me, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of excitement as well.

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

After Bella has finished her meal, we brought her up to one of the spare rooms in the house. I'd turned it into Bella's room, considering I've seen her future. It was with us.

At this, Edward growled in the back of his throat. I rolled my eyes, my back turned to him since I was rushing up the steps as fast as a human could, with Bella in my arms. _Grow up, Edward, and accept it. If I could see that far into the future, don't you think it's a good thing then? That none of us hurt her? That she's still safe after all those time?_

Of course, the future isn't set in stone, but there's no need for me to think that now. Edward was grouchy enough for all of us.

We reached the closed door, and I looked at Bella. She looked anxious, a little worried. "Are you ready?" I asked. She hesitated before nodding her head. "Don't worry, you'll love it," I assured her. I'd seen her reaction, of course, the moment I decided what to do with the room.

I pushed open the door, and I stepped inside, aware of the others spilling in after us. Esme and Edward were the only ones who didn't gasp. She'd been the one who helped me out, and of course Edward has seen it in our heads.

The walls were already painted blue, so we didn't have to change that. I'd gotten silk blue bed sheets and comforters for her, though, and Esme had gotten the shelves and bookcases, and toy racks. She had even made a treasure chest which lay closed at the foot of the bed. We were two vampires who had six hours to work while Bella slept. It was more than enough time.

"Is this all for me?" Bella asked incredulously.

I nodded my head. "Of course it is, Bella."

She smiled widely, and hugged me tightly. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Although I'd seen this in my vision, I couldn't help but be struck by her maturity. She didn't yell or scream like a normal child. I had no doubt that we would encounter that, especially when she reached her teenage years, but she was still mature for her age.

I placed her on the floor and she ran to the bed. I watched her stumble slightly before catching herself and making the rest of the way to the bed. It was a kid's bed, so it was easy for her to climb on it. I watched her giggle and wriggled under the covers until all we could see was a lump under the covers.

I laughed. This was the more playful side of Bella. I liked that. Every child should have a chance to be playful and innocent and silly.

"While they can, right?" Edward said softly, too low for human ears.

I turned slightly and frowned at him. "Don't ruin this for her, Edward. It's not just our decision. It's hers, too. Her fate. We've all accepted that. It's time you do, too," I said quickly, before turning back to look at Bella's moving form under the covers.

Emmett stepped forward and called out to her. "Bella? Aren't you going to come out?" All he got in reply was a string of playful giggles. "Well, then," he smirked. "I guess we're just going to have to play with all the toys," he stressed on the word. "By ourselves."

Bella gasped and threw the covers back. She jumped down from the bed and bounced over to where Emmett was, almost losing her balance more times than I could count. "Toys?" she asked eagerly.

We laughed, and I swore I heard Edward chuckling quietly behind me, as well. Good.

Emmett and Jasper proceeded to show her the toys they'd gotten for her, all laid out in the treasure chest. Rosalie joined them, as well. I'd sent her with the boys-if I hadn't, Bella wouldn't even have one toy meant for a girl. She'd have ended up with video games and soccer balls.

Esme, Carlisle and I watched Bella squeal as she dug through the treasure chest to get to her new toys. Edward watched from outside the doorway, and after a moment, he left. I didn't need Jasper's gift to know that he felt remorseful that Bella would have to live in a house full of vampires. Even if he was determined it was only for the weekend.

_Don't be like that, Edward. She loves it here. We love having her here. Is that so bad to have her around?_

He didn't answer me, but I heard loud rock music blaring from his room. I rolled my eyes again, and blocked him out, focusing only on the miracle in front of us.

************************************************************************************

_Sorry for the delay. Now, what do you think of this chapter? Is Bella and Edward's relationship now totally weird?? Will it be weird for me to start making her character grow up, and show their blossoming relationship?? Would it be strange to add in the inevitable romance?? And if Bella seems OOC, it's because she's a child and I have no idea what six year old Bella would do or say. This was what I imagined, though._

_Again, I wanted to thank readers and reviewers. It meant a lot. Don't forget to do the same for this chapter, and tell me what you think, yeah??_

_Thank you._


	3. Bella's First Cullen Morning

_**A/N:**__ Sorry to keep you waiting. Went to my gran's house today and my uncle hogged the computer there. I got so mad not being able to write. Anyway, I'm really grateful for all the reviews. I want to answer some of your questions._

_Roxymar: I won't forget my other stories. In fact, it's nine at night where I am right now, and I'm planning to stay up the whole night to write as much chapters for all my stories…I'm going to need a lot of caffeine refill._

_Isi girl: Bella's six years old but she's going to be seven soon. And she's not going to be adopted by Charlie-it's my fault for not clarifying this sooner, but Renee and Charlie were still together when they died. Also, I wanted Bella to grow up in the Cullen household, then as she becomes a teen, she develops romantic interest in Edward. Awkward, just like Bella._

_Shizuku Tsukishima749: Since it's a few years back (around eleven years), the Cullens are nearly as old as they were in the books._

_Dragonwitch250: Yeah, of course Edward will be wrapped around Bella's finger. He would never deny her. Of course, there's still the protective side of him and the 'I-know-what's-best-for-you' side of him to consider…So, yeah, he'll start to act differently as time progresses._

_And for everyone else who read, reviewed and loved the story, thanks for your support. I'm glad you think my portrayal of the Cullens are realistic. Bella's character will solidify into the Bella we all know and love with time. I'm happy you think I can do it, and are following the story. Thank you for making the story and favorite and all. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Rosalie, Bella, Jasper, Edward_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Rosalie's POV_

I have never, in my entire existence, felt this happy. Not when I was human and started gaining attention. Not when I thought I was going to gain everything by getting engaged to Royce. Not when I met Emmett. Never.

I have always wanted a child. I wanted a little boy, but Bella…She was everything beautiful. I couldn't get enough of her. She was like the daughter I never had. We don't look alike, not at all, but I keep seeing similarities between us. I see her dark hair, and I think of Emmett. I see her wide eyes, beautiful, inquiring, and I think of my own. I see her button nose, and her smile, and I hear her laughter…And suddenly I was fantasizing about Bella being Emmett's and my daughter.

I try and keep this out of my thoughts whenever Edward was around, but it was hard. For one, he was always around. I knew he was concerned we'd harm Bella, but he was as infatuated with her as the rest of us. Maybe even more.

No one loved her more than me. I had to have her. I need her with me. It would kill me to give her up. And to think, it's been less than a day.

After Bella had woken up last night, she had eaten her dinner Esme had made for her, and seen her room. Alice and Esme decorated it. I didn't have much say in it, but that was alright. I went to the mall with Jasper and Emmett to help pick out Bella's toys and such. I got her dolls, and a toy cooking set, and a doll house, and stuffed animals and everything a little girl would want.

I think I ended up buying the whole store. I didn't care. She deserved it.

She had played with Jazz, Em and me for a while before falling asleep in my arms. If I could have cried, I would have.

And now, with dawn so near, time has never moved this slow. I wanted it to be morning. I wanted the sun to rise. I wanted to be able to wake Bella up. It seemed everyone in the house was anticipating it. It was driving Jasper crazy, I knew, he kept pacing the living room, sending calming waves to everyone. It did nothing for me.

It was so different, to have a heartbeat in the house. It was all the more incredible knowing that it was this beautiful six year old girl I could consider a daughter. Her freesia scent, her laughter, her human warmth…It made me feel so alive.

I touched her-hugged her, kissed her forehead, stroked her hair, and not once did she flinch from me. She could look into my topaz eyes and not be afraid. She could grab onto my cold, marble hand and not run. Her innocence and trust amazed me, and made me so happy.

We were to keep her until Monday. Child services would send a representative over. My dead heart broke every time I thought of it. Alice foresaw her future-I knew she did. But she won't tell us anything. I think Edward saw it, though. That's why he's even more agitated than usual.

I hoped it wasn't a future where Bella was hurt, or killed. I wouldn't be able to stand that.

I wanted to ask Carlisle and Esme if we could adopt Bella. I knew their answer would probably be a no. We were vampires-eternally damned to live forever. Bella was human. She would grow older, find a human mate, marry, move away, and continue growing older. She would die at some point. I flinched at the very thought.

But I still couldn't let her go. Would the rest of us be able to? I saw how attached Alice and Esme already were to Bella. I saw how even Jasper warmed up to her. He wasn't as out of control around her as he was around other humans. He didn't get that mutinous look in his eyes.

Oh, God. What if we really had to give her up? Would I be able to handle that? Would I be able to endure losing the opportunity to have a child of my own for the second time?

"You know it's for the best, Rosalie," Edward said quietly.

I jumped and swiveled around to glare at my brother. He had come down the stairs so silently that not even I had noticed it. Of course, I had been absorbed.

_I love her, Edward. I can't explain it. It's only been a few hours and this human child has taken over me so completely. I could love her like a daughter. Don't ask me to give her up_, I pleaded. It wasn't like me, to plead, to beg.

But Edward was Edward. He would do anything to get things the way he wanted them to be. He would throw a tantrum, have a sulky fit, argue until our heads spun…Anything. And being the first son in the family, Carlisle and Esme have always respected his opinions. They had always listened to what he had to say. More often than not, they took his side.

But I couldn't allow it this time.

Most of the time, I was beyond grateful that I had eternity with Emmett. I had Carlisle to thank for that. If it weren't for him, I would have died and never gotten the chance to exact my revenge on Royce and his buddies. I would have never met Emmett, my true love. I would have never known the love of a real family.

But there was that awful pain in the pit of my stomach I could never let go of. The pain of never having a child. I wanted it so badly, it hurt.

Bella was my chance. She was my savior. I needed her in my life. I didn't know what would happen in the future, if it was good or bad. If she would move away from us, leave me in my grief and move on with her human life. I didn't know, but I was willing to give it a try.

Even for a little while, if I could have her with me, call her my daughter, give her happiness, then I was willing.

Edward stared at me coolly, and shook his head. "You know, Rose," he said again. "She's human. We can't keep her. It's not like she's a stray puppy. She'll grow up, and she'd have to have a normal life. _That's _what's best for her," he was determined.

"You don't know that!" I snapped. I couldn't keep my cool. Who the hell was he to tell me that I had to let go of her?

I felt a wave of calmness settle over me, and shot Jasper a murderous glare. He was unabashed. "I need you two to calm down," he groaned. "I can't take it."

Can't take it. Yes. That was how I felt every time I thought of never being able to conceive. Every moment of happiness I spent with Emmett was tinged with sadness over never being able to give him that, never being able to have that.

"What about what we are?" Edward retorted. I flinched at his flat tone. It was like he didn't even care. "What about her finding out? Have you ever thought about that? Do you think she'll want us after we tell her?"

What he meant to say was-did I think she'll want me after we tell her about us.

I turned away from him, shutting my eyes so no one could see the hurt in them. I felt like sobbing, but of course, I couldn't shed tears.

"Hey," Emmett said. It was one of those rare times when he sounded serious. "Back off, Edward. Alright? Let's just get through the weekend first."

I heard him sigh, heard the apology in that one insignificant noise. "I'm sorry, Rose," he muttered.

I didn't answer him, nor did I turn around to face him, or any of them. I walked over to the window facing the mountains, and sat down on the ledge.

I stared out into the darkness, and waited for dawn.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Sunlight was streaming in through the blue curtains when I woke up. I sat up in bed and stretched, yawning. I blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness. There was a knock at the door, and I started, calling out to whomever it was to come in.

Rosalie and Alice came into the room, Alice bounding in like an excited fairy. I smiled widely at them. Rose sat on the edge of the bed, and I immediately crawled into her lap. I really liked her. She was very pretty, and nice to me. They all were. But Rose always treated me like my mommy did. She would hold me, and hug me and kiss my hair. I felt safe around her.

"What do you want to do today, Bella?" Alice asked excitedly. I thought about this. What should I do today? I didn't feel like going out because I was still tired and a little sore from my bruises. I wanted to stay inside the house, play with my new toys and just…Rest.

I was still sad from losing mommy and daddy. I knew heaven was a good place, but I won't be able to see them anymore. I tugged on Rose's sleeve and she looked down at me. "Will I be able to visit mommy and daddy in heaven?" I whispered quietly. I had the feeling that I shouldn't ask this question, at least not so loudly.

Rose looked pained for a moment, then she gave me a sad smile and smoothed back my hair. "I'm sorry, baby, but no," she leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I felt tears welling in my eyes and closed my eyes so Rose and Alice wouldn't see. I snuggled deeper into Rose's arms and rested my head on her chest, breathing in her sweet scent.

After a moment, I felt myself calming down. It was the strangest feeling ever, like suddenly, I knew everything would be okay. I knew it was alright to be sad, but it would be better soon. I felt like my heart was lighter.

I opened my eyes and blinked. My tears were gone.

Alice smiled at me, crouching down in front of Rose and me. She took my small hands in hers and kissed my knuckles, smiling brightly at me. It wasn't a fake smile, the way I knew some people felt obliged to give me just because I was little. So I smiled back. It was infectious enough.

"I have an idea," she said. "What about if we just stay at home today? We could watch movies, play with your new toys…" she rattled off the things that we could do in a sing-song voice.

I liked the sound of what she had in mind. I started to nod my head slowly. I could do that.

"…Play dress up…" I cringed at that. Alright, maybe I didn't like everything that she had in mind.

Alice didn't notice my cringe, still going on and on about the clothes that she had bought for me and what fun we would have playing dress-up. Rose did, though, and laughed. "Take it slow, Alice. We wouldn't want to traumatize her."

Alice stuck her tongue out at Rose and I felt a fresh burst of giggles escaping me-she was acting just like me when I felt playful. Alice smiled at this, and raised an eyebrow. "Does that sound okay with you?" she asked hopefully, her bright topaz eyes glinting.

I nodded my head. "Except for dress-up," I made a face.

Rose and Alice burst out laughing, and I smiled widely at them both.

"Let's get you some breakfast, then."

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

She smelled enticing. I've never been this close to a human before and not end up drinking their blood. But she was different. The love and affection I felt for her was multiplied through my gift-I felt everyone's affections for her.

It was still hard for me to control myself, but I tried. I've never been more in control of my actions as I was at this point, in my opinion. Edward said it might have something to do with the fact that Bella was still a child, and her scent wasn't as strong. I think he's right. And if we get to keep her longer, I would hopefully be desensitized by the time she was older. We all would be.

I was amazed at the tenor of my family's feelings towards her.

I wasn't at all surprised by Rosalie's reaction-she had always wanted a child of her own. And now suddenly, a human girl was presented to us, beautiful, innocent, untouched, warm and loving. It was her dream come true. I was still shocked by the fierce love I felt coursing through her. It broke her heart to think of giving Bella up.

Emmett was just happy that Rose was happy. He was glad to see her so loving and motherly towards Bella. To him, Bella was a miracle, a gift. And he was glad he could be around her, play with her. He was just as excited as I was.

Alice was beyond control with her happiness. She wanted to buy Bella clothes, and shower her with gifts. She wanted to spoil Bella, and be her best friend. She couldn't wait for Bella to grow up, so that she could see what sort of a girl she would turn out to be. I had no doubts she'd already seen it but that probably just added to her excitement. But she also wanted Bella to stay a child for as long as possible-her innocence was a virtue.

Carlisle felt the same way as Emmett. Esme was so happy to have Bella in the house. She'd lost her own child when she was human-the last straw that led to her suicide. He was seeing her healing up, and was astonished that a six year old human girl could heal his wife the way no one else had ever been able to.

Edward was Edward. He was stubborn, and refused to believe that anything good would come out of it. Rose called it selfishness. I called it selflessness. He wanted to protect Bella, whether he admitted it or not. Alice said he would in time. I knew she saw something else but she never shared it with me, or with anyone else. Judging from the frustration I felt from Edward, she was keeping it a secret from him, too.

But he was affected by her. He wanted to protect her. The very idea of him wanting the best for Bella already proved that. I think even Rosalie knew that deep down, and that's why she hadn't really lashed out at him.

I sighed impatiently for Alice and Rosalie to bring Bella down. I could hear their conversation upstairs as clearly as if I was right there next to them. Edward was sitting at his piano, playing the moodiest songs I've ever heard him play on that thing. Esme was busy in the kitchen, making a breakfast big enough to feed an army-she didn't know what Bella wanted and she wanted to make sure everything was available. Carlisle was pacing the living room, anticipating Bella. He was anxious to see what her progress was like, as an interested father figure and as her doctor. She had suffered a traumatic experience at such a young age. Emmett couldn't wait to see if she would stumble again-her clumsiness amused him.

Alice and Rose were helping Bella into the bath, and I heard Bella chat animatedly with the both of them about school. It was the summer holidays at this point, so we didn't have to worry about that yet.

According to Edward, we didn't have to worry about that at all, considering it was the middle of July and school started in September. He whole heartedly believed Bella would be gone by then. It saddened him to think that, although he would never admit that, but he still believed it true.

I knew better than to bet against my Alice.

Finally, I heard Alice and Rose bringing Bella down the stairs. I caught sight of my Alice carrying Bella in her arms, and my breath caught. She looked so beautiful. A child in her arms-a perfect picture.

Alice set Bella down on the couch, where she wriggled into a comfortable position. She was wearing a blue sundress that ended at her knees, and her long brown hair hung in waves around her shoulders. She really was an adorable human.

When she stopped fidgeting and looked up, she saw the rest of us looking at her. Bella blushed and looked down shyly.

Esme came out of the kitchen and sat next to Bella, smiling. "Good morning, dear," Esme greeted her.

"Morning," Bella mumbled, picking at the fabric of her dress. She looked up once more to glance around the room curiously. Everyone was crowding around her now. Even Edward had stopped playing the piano and had come to join us. He sat on a lone armchair, away from where Bella and Esme sat.

I smirked. _You can't fool me, Edward. You love having her around._

He ignored me, but I caught a flash of annoyance anyway.

Esme asked Bella what she wanted to eat. Bella wrinkled her nose and scrunched her face in concentration. Adorable. Her face lit up as she made a decision. "Waffles!" she cried happily.

Esme laughed, kissing Bella's forehead lightly before heading gracefully back into the kitchen. Carlisle asked Bella if he could check her bruises to see if she was feeling any better. Bella nodded her head and allowed him, though her bottom lip quivered as he examined her. Carlisle was gentle with her-he'd had years of practice being a doctor to humans. But she was little, after all. It couldn't be easy for her to be in pain.

Something in her caught my off guard. Embarrassment. She was embarrassed at being hurt. Her pride was wounded. I stared at her in surprise. Even at such a young age, she hated to show weakness. How intriguing.

Esme came back into the living room with a glass of milk in one hand and a plate of waffles in another. Alice was already turning on the TV and pulling out DVDs of children's shows I never thought we had. She'd probably gotten them yesterday at the mall. Alice thought of everything. God, I love her.

Bella begun to forget her embarrassment and her shyness as she ate her breakfast and watched the cartoons.

At this moment, all conflict, all pain, all confusion, indecisiveness and anger in my family were gone. All that was left was contentment.

That was when I swore never to let anything happen to Bella.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Jasper was right. In the past twenty hours, I'd become attached to Bella. I never showed it. I never went anywhere near her if I didn't need to. I let the others crowd around her, and spoil her and treat her like the miracle she was. But I felt it. The affection, the love…I could hear it in their thoughts, and they somewhat mirrored mine.

Was this how they felt? I couldn't tell simply by their thoughts. I couldn't tell the intensity of their emotions. I didn't have Jasper's gift. But I felt my own emotions surging through me.

Her scent was stronger to me than to any one of them. I didn't know why. If it were simply because I was one of the first to find her, Carlisle should have had the same reaction to her as well. Maybe it was because he has better self control than I do.

She was amazing. I couldn't stop looking at her. Something about her captivated me-and unnerved me at the same time.

I still couldn't read her thoughts, something Carlisle said might change in the future. Emphasis on the might. He said it might be because of her grief of losing her parents. She might have shut down. That was highly unlikely.

I hated to admit it. But Jasper was right. I wanted to protect Bella from everything. I wanted her to keep her innocence. I wanted her to be safe all the time.

But a tiny part of me was too selfish to see her go.

_You can't fool me, Edward. You love having her around_, I heard Jasper's blaring thoughts. I resisted the urge to scowl and tried to distract myself. Unfortunately, her freesia scent only filled my head with thoughts of her.

Would it be so bad to have Bella around? She was already making our lives better. I have never seen Esme and Rosalie so happy. I'd never seen Alice so excited about shopping-and that was saying something. Emmett was showing a rare tender side that I was half afraid of because it was so unlike him. Jasper's self restrain was admirable at this point, though I stuck by my theory of her scent being weak due to her age. Carlisle was excited too, and so happy to see Esme healing from her wounds.

And I was just trying to protect Bella. She was too sweet to be anything but.

If she were to go out there into the world, all on her own, would she be able to fend for herself? Would she make it out there? She was an orphan. She would be given to a foster home. I didn't have experience with foster homes, but I knew of the system. It was terrible, and the families the children were given to weren't always respectable.

Sometimes the children were beaten, abused in various ways, mistreated. Could I think of this sweet angel being abused that way? No, I couldn't. The anger flaring within me at the mere thought of that had Jasper in panic, shooting wave after wave of tranquility at me.

I breathed out through clenched teeth and forced myself to calm down. It would do no good to scare Bella. She was only a child. I didn't want to scar her for life because of an outburst. It would be scary to a little child, I knew.

So, no, foster homes might not be such a good idea. And if Bella had any relatives, the hospital would have already contacted them. But she didn't. She was all alone.

But was this a better fate for her? Living in a house full of vampires? Monsters who were cursed to drink blood to sustain? Was this her destiny?

No, I had to find an alternative. I had to make sure she had the best possible life.

And yet, gazing at her sweet face, looking into her chocolate eyes, seeing the blush that stained her cheeks when she saw me looking at her…I couldn't help but give in, just for a second, to my selfish side.

******************************************************************************

_I hope this chapter was satisfactory. Please tell me what you think. Thank you once again for all of your reviews. They meant a lot._

_Review!!! Thank you._


	4. Vote

_**A/N: **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. Your words kept me fueled to stay up until 4 a.m. writing another chapter, so here it goes._

_P.S. ellenstevenson173, I know that Bella's grandmother died when she was twelve and she's only six in this story, but if I wrote that, then the Cullens won't be able to keep Bella. So let's just imagine that Bella's all alone for the sake of this fan fic, LOL. Thank you for your review._

_FoggyMoon, no worries. ExB won't happen when she's tiny. He'll just be super protective Edward, and she'll just be dependent on him. When she becomes a teenager then things change romantically for them. I promise not to gross you out as much as I can._

_LemonDropDreams, I type pretty fast so when inspiration hits, it takes me an hour or two or so to write a chapter. Thanks for your review._

_TriGemini, I love your reviews. Thanks so much. Makes me want to just write more every time._

_To everyone else, thank you for reading and reviewing, and putting this on story alert and such. Angels, all of you._

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns all._

_**POVs:** Alice, Edward, Bella_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

Can I just say how incredible it was to have Bella around? I could almost feel the atmosphere in the house lighten. And I didn't even have Jazz's gift!

The past few days have been heaven for us. We spent all of Friday lounging at home, watching movies and playing with Bella. I couldn't remember a more normal time in my life. I hung out with my family all the time, but there was always the supernatural aspect to it. If we played a game, someone would try to cheat. If we raced, we used vampire speed. Our normal day together would be Esme planting in the garden, Carlisle in his office, Jazz and I in front of the TV with Emmett (I know what you're thinking-I do _not _help Jazz cheat during video games…Alright, _once_), Edward practicing his piano and Rose in the garage.

Whenever we had movie nights, it was always filled with Cullen family moments. I loved those.

But none of them could compare to Bella. She was so innocent, I loved her.

I already saw her future. I knew she would be living with us.

And I knew Edward had partially given in. I just needed to push him in the right direction a little more. In time, he'll accept it.

And Bella was enthusiastic about her new toys, her new room-and her new family. She was so inquisitive! She kept asking questions like why our eyes look so different from other people. Edward would have made this into a smug 'I-told-you-so' comment had Bella been older and had a longer attention span. The moment the question was out of her mouth, she was asking another one already.

Why was Emmett so big?

Why did she feel so calm whenever Jasper's around?

Why was my hair spiky?

Didn't Edward want to play, too?

Can't we watch Tom and Jerry-the mouse was always so funny.

Could Esme please make pasta for lunch?

We didn't actually have to answer any of them. She was too adorable, really. Even I was having a hard time keeping up with her. As a six year old girl, it was understandable that she would have a lot of energy. But I think Jasper had something to do with this. Either way, it didn't matter.

I fought the urge to get her to change into something else when the clock struck five. Why limit her to one outfit a day? I think I wore Jasper out with my eagerness.

Thank God no one could protest when it was time for Bella to bathe and change into pajamas. I was so glad I was able to shop for her. Once the Child Services issue was settled on Monday, I was hoping I could take her out to the mall, get her to pick out a few things…With my help, of course.

Edward was still trying to fight the reality that Bella was here to stay. Honestly, why he bothered to bet against me is beyond any of us. I was never wrong and I never will be.

It was Saturday night now. Two and a half days since Bella had entered our lives. It has been nothing but euphoric.

Rose, Esme and I were crowded around Bella's bed, tucking her in for the night. Esme had to read her a bedtime story and put on Edward's Debussy CD or she won't be able to sleep. Clair de Lune. Figures Edward would get her addicted to one of his classic songs.

Tonight, Esme was reading Cinderella. We were at the part where Cinderella and the Prince were reunited. Bella had a happy smile on her face, and her eyes were drooping. She was almost snoring right then.

"Twelve seconds," I whispered, too low for Bella's human ears to pick up.

Esme nodded, and closed the book while Rose grabbed the remote control from the dresser and pressed 'play'. Clair de Lune played softly from the stereo Edward had gotten for Bella. I smirked as I thought of it. Bella hadn't been able to get much sleep yesterday night, until Edward played Clair de Lune on his stereo. That had prompted Bella to fall asleep on his couch. When we brought her to her room and tucked her in her bed, she woke up and started wailing for Edward. She'd spent the entire night in his room, listening to playbacks of the same song.

Edward had gone out today-bless the stormy weather-and bought the stereo for Bella. It looked like Bella would be able to sleep peacefully tonight after all.

In twelve seconds, just like I'd predicted, Bella had fallen asleep. We each said our goodnights, kissing Bella softly on the forehead, and heading out the door. I made sure to turn on Bella's nightlight-she was afraid of the dark, something Emmett found incredibly hilarious.

We all headed downstairs. Everyone, including Edward, was sitting in the living room. "She's asleep," Esme stated proudly.

"So we heard," Emmett said in relief. He'd panicked last night when Bella started wailing uncontrollably in her bed. I would have laughed at the sight of the big, strong Emmett, pacing the room with alarm, thinking of ways to calm her down-half of which weren't even logical, might I add.

I joined Jasper on the loveseat and Rose and Esme sat next to the significant others as well. We fell into a peaceful silence, listening to Bella's breathing and her steady heartbeat upstairs. Oh, Bella. Did she have any idea just how wonderful life was just because she was here?

Carlisle was the first to speak up. He cleared his throat, gaining all of our attention. "Most of you need to hunt," he said, looking at us all. "Edward and I have gone hunting Thursday-as you know. Esme, you take the kids out tomorrow," he nodded at his wife, who smiled at him and kissed him briefly.

I smiled at their tender moment before Carlisle's words caught up to me. "Wait, what?" I nearly shrieked.

Esme and Rose both glared at me. "Shh!" Rose chided.

I lowered my voice. "I don't wanna leave Bella!" I whined.

Carlisle chuckled. "I know, Alice," he said gently. "But it'll only be a day. Not only for Bella's sake, but also for Monday." Everyone except Edward and I gave him quizzical looks. I'd already known what he would be saying next.

"Child Services will be sending someone by the house on Monday," he told us.

The room became even more silent now than ever, and I felt tension seep back. The air felt heavier.

"Will they take Bella?" Rosalie asked, her voice strained. I shot her a reassuring smile.

Carlisle shook his head. "I'm not sure about that, yet, Rose. We're going to have to decide what to do before they get here," he murmured the last part almost to himself.

Emmett raised an eyebrow, looking around confusedly. "What do you mean decide what to do?" he asked.

Carlisle sighed. He stood up and started to pace. "We have to decide if we're going to allow Child Services to place Bella in the foster system or…" He shot Edward a quick look before turning away. "Or if we keep her."

Rosalie brightened up almost immediately. "Can we do that?" she asked eagerly. Emmett wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm encouragingly.

Carlisle ignored her question, and continued to pace. I could see Rosalie fighting the urge to spring from her seat and shake the answer from Carlisle. I think Emmett was holding her down with his arm. I held back a giggle. Was she forgetting my vision?

"Carlisle!" Rosalie snapped, impatient.

Carlisle jumped a little, startled. He smiled sheepishly at her, and took his rightful seat next to Esme. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Was he trying to get on Rosalie's bad side? The way she was fuming now, glaring daggers at him, was enough to send any sane being running in the opposite direction.

But Carlisle was our father and more importantly, older than Rose. He wasn't afraid of her. What he was more afraid of was Edward's temper.

"We'd have to…Take a vote," he said quietly. Edward's head snapped to Carlisle, and he glared at him. Carlisle held up a hand to stem any protests. "Edward, this decision is conflicted. I have to know what the others think before we make a decision."

"Carlisle-" Edward begun, his voice dripping with disapproval.

"Please, Edward. Just hear what they have to say," Esme pleaded with her son, giving him a full motherly look. I knew Edward would never contradict Esme. True enough, he sighed and settled back in his seat, though his shoulders were tense, awaiting what the rest of us had to say.

"Alice," Carlisle prompted.

I took a deep breath and shot Edward a sharp look. "You already know what I think," I said. "I've seen Bella, alive and healthy, with us. She's meant to be with us…My vote is yes."

"Jasper."

"I won't contradict Alice. Besides, this family is a whole lot more complete with Bella in it. I've never…Your emotions are euphoric at this point. It's a good feeling," he smiled. I leaned into him, encouraging him to vote. "Yes."

"Emmett?"

"The squirt is too cute!" he exploded.

"Shh!" Rose jabbed him in the ribs.

He smiled sheepishly, and said, "I vote hell yeah!"

I giggled at his exuberance. Edward shut his eyes, as if not wanting to see an unsightly scene.

"Rosalie?"

She had calmed down enough to snuggle back into Emmett. Seeing the rest of us leaning towards keeping Bella in the family had pacified her. "I…" She hesitated for a while, biting her lip. "I love her," she said quietly, looking up at us. "She's the daughter I never had. I want her with me. I know it's…It's selfish of me, to want her around all of this," she waved dejectedly around us. "But I can't help it…I'm not saying we condemn her to our life. I'm just saying protect her. We don't know what's out there. Humans could be even more cruel than vampires. More cruel than us, most definitely. We would protect her, love her, give her everything…And if one day, she decides to leave," Rosalie broke off, taking a deep breath. "Then at least we'd given her all we could."

She smiled, confident of her vote. "I vote yes."

Emmett kissed her on the cheek, and I heard her let out the breath she was holding.

Carlisle smiled at her in that fatherly way of his, and turned to Esme. "Esme?" he asked. I knew there was a reason he was asking Edward last. He knew Edward would say no. He was already pinching the bridge of his nose, leaning forward in his seat as if he was in physical pain.

Esme smiled softly, staring at a spot on the wall. I knew she was thinking of Bella. "I vote yes," she said, automatically reaching for Carlisle's hand.

"I vote yes, too, Edward," Carlisle announced.

"No!" Edward shot out of his seat, glaring at all of us, breathing heavily.

Jasper stood up as well, and by the look of concentration on his face, I could tell he was trying to calm Edward. I don't think it was working.

"We're vampires," he snapped.

"You don't say," Emmett said sarcastically.

Edward glared at him, but Emmett didn't back down. "We have no right to keep her! What if we snap? What if _others_," he stressed on the word, to prove its significance. I could almost feel a collective wince as the others realized his meaning. "Find out about her? At some point in time, she's either going to find out or we'll have to tell her about us. Why we move around so much, why we never age, why we don't go out in the sun…You think the Volturi will let her live? A human who knows of our existence?" he spat out.

Even I had no idea what to say to this. I hadn't seen this part of Bella's future. And it was wavering. My vision was wavering. Edward's words were striking a chord with the others. They were wondering now if keeping Bella would be the best solution.

Edward's voice softened the slightest bit. "You don't know that she won't find a good home. A proper one, with loving humans. You don't know that she'd grow up and have a perfectly normal life. We have no right. It's not up to us," he concluded.

"My vote is no."

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

_He has a point…The Volturi won't be happy._

_I'm sure I could sway Aro. If he finds out, that is to say. I'm sure we could keep her a secret… Aro is an old friend, surely he would sympathize._

_I won't let anyone, including the damn Volturi, hurt my daughter._

_But she's been so good for us. Maybe Edward's right. Maybe we are being selfish, keeping her around just because it finally felt like we're living instead of surviving._

_Oh, and I was getting so good at cooking. I do wish Bella could stay. She's my second chance. My baby died. I wouldn't want the same fate for Bella. I want her safe. Was it too illogical to think that we could protect her? Surely not…_

_The vision's changing…Why is it changing? Damn you Edward._

Alice jumped out of her seat, her eyes wild. "No," she said, shaking her head. "The Volturi won't be pleased, but we could sway them, strike a deal, _something_. But Bella is safest here with us."

I opened my mouth to protest but Alice turned her death glare on me. "You think you know it all, Edward. But you don't. _I'm _the one who sees the future. _I'm _the one who knows how her life is supposed to play out. She's been through hell and she's only six. Foster systems and strange humans aren't a part of her future. I won't let it!"

"My vote is yes," Alice said firmly. "She means too much. You could stick with your vote, Edward, but I want the others to say if they've changed their minds or not."

Her eyes challenged me, and when she gazed at them, her eyes challenged them, as well. I could see their train of thoughts in my head, and fought to stay calm. I've made a promising argument. Surely they won't just dismiss it.

But slowly, I watched in horror as Alice's vision solidified in her mind. Her original vision, of Bella playing in our living room when she was eight. I saw flashes of one vision after another.

Bella sleeping in her room.

Bella reading in Carlisle's study.

Bella getting a piggyback ride from Emmett.

Bella getting her hair brushed by Rosalie.

Bella frowning at the shopping bags in Alice's arms.

Bella smiling as she hugged me tightly, her tiny form reaching my waist only.

She was staying.

Defeated, I slumped back into my head, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the others.

"Yes!" Alice cheered. "Bella's staying!"

I opened my eyes to see Carlisle smiling. "I'll call and tell them we'll be adopting Bella," he agreed.

I sighed.

Carlisle adopted a serious expression, then. "Well, off you go to hunt," he said to the others. I would be staying behind with Carlisle to look after Bella. We'd both just hunted, since Tuesday. We were living in a pretty secluded area just outside Forks. Carlisle wasn't sure how long we would be staying, and he refused to ask Alice. So he had started working at the hospital, even though we were only here to stay until our home in Alaska had gone through all the necessary renovations.

Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose and I had also just finished school a year ago in England, right before we moved, so we didn't particularly want to go back yet.

Unfortunately, when we got to Alaska, we'd have to resume school. It was part of our charade. We had to evade suspicion. Five teenagers being home-schooled was definitely suspicious enough.

At Carlisle's words, the others started to grumble. Carlisle shook his head, though I saw the quirk of his lips as he fought the urge to grin at their antics. "No. You know you need to hunt," he said sternly.

"Can't we stay until morning? Say goodbye to Bella first?" Emmett pleaded.

"Please, Carlisle?" Esme asked him sweetly.

I rolled my eyes. Once Esme used that tone, Carlisle was putty in her hands.

He sighed, and agreed.

Like I said, putty in her hands.

I stood up and went up the stairs. I could hear what the others were thinking-they thought I was going to my room, to pout and sulk and be moody. Alice knew better, of course, but she blocked out her thoughts so I couldn't hear her smugness.

Thank God for that.

I climbed up the stairs and was in front of Bella's bedroom door in two seconds flat. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open her door and stepped inside.

It was dark, though that didn't deter me. I could see even better in the dark than I could in the day. There was a nightlight in the corner, casting an almost orange glow in the room. Bella was snoring softly into her pillow. I stepped closer to her, and kneeled down next to her head. I stared at her sleeping form, her seraphic face.

Why was it that she captivated me? Why was it so easy for her to steal the hearts of seven vampires?

All she had to do was waltz into the room, and we were willing to give our lives for her.

Yes, we.

I was willing, too. She meant more to me than I could understand. I was a mess inside. One moment, I was thinking of how she smelt so wonderful. Her freesia scented blood was just too tantalizing. The next moment I was thinking how I'd protect her from anything and everything. The next moment I was wondering if giving her up would be the best option, and the next I wanted nothing more than to yell out "Yes! My vote is yes!"

I sighed softly, and smiled at her. Ah, Bella. What am I going to do with you?

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I woke up to find Rose, Esme, Alice, Emmett and Jasper crowding around my bed. I started to laugh. They were the strangest but funniest people I've ever met.

"We have to go, Bella," Alice said sadly.

I frowned. "Go where?" I couldn't help but whine. Were they going to leave me?

Rose laid down next to me and wrapped an arm around me. "We have to go run an errand today," she said. Errand. It's what mommy called having to go grocery shopping and going to the bank. "We'll be back at night, but really late. So you probably won't see us until tomorrow morning."

I bit my lip, thinking. Well, if they had to go out, then why did I have to stay at home? "Couldn't I come?" I pouted.

Rose laughed, shaking her head. "You stay at home, okay? Get better. Edward and Carlisle will be staying with you, so you can play with them, okay?"

I broke out into a grin. Edward was staying? I nodded my head. "Okay." I was still sad. They were leaving me, for an entire day. I was just so used to seeing them by now. They never left my side when I was awake the past few days. They were my best friends.

"Don't worry, we'll bring you out with us one day, okay? Alice promised, taking one of my hands in hers. "We could go to the mall or the park, or anywhere you want. Okay?"

I nodded my head, smiling widely at her. "Have fun," I mumbled as they kissed me on the forehead one by one, then filed out of my room, waving at me.

I sat up in my bed, and looked around the empty room. What was I going to do now?

Then I smiled.

It was time to find Edward.

******************************************************************************

Edward wasn't in his room. Did he leave with the others, too? I was about to cry when I heard the soft music of the piano. I smiled. He was downstairs. I trudged softly down the hall and made my way carefully down the stairs.

I'd always been clumsy. I didn't want to trip and fall down the stairs. I almost made it all the way when I slipped on the last step. I fell down flat on my face. I felt the sting on my knee, and the pain shooting up my ankle, and started to cry.

Edward was by my side in an instant, and picked me up. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. It has always helped me to calm down. Maybe it would help me now.

But the pain was getting worse. I sobbed harder.

"Bella," he said, panicking. "Bella, are you alright?"

I shook my head against his cold skin. Why on earth was he so cold? Did he want a blanket to keep warm? Mommy said it wasn't good to be cold otherwise you might get sick. I wanted to point this out to him, but the pain in my left leg was overtaking me.

"Bella, tell me," his pained voice pleaded me.

Without looking up or pulling away, I mumbled "my leg" into his neck.

He shifted me in his arms gently and took a look. "Oh, Bella," he sighed. "Carlisle, could you come down a second?" he called out. He spoke normally, but Carlisle was already climbing down the steps.

"What is it, Edward?" he asked, his voice worried. "Hello, Bella," he greeted me. I didn't turn around to look at him.

"She fell down," Edward told him. I bit my lip as I felt a familiar blush coloring my cheeks. Why did I have to be so clumsy. "I think she sprained her ankle. Could you have a look at it?"

"Certainly."

Carlisle attempted to take me from Edward's grip, but I whimpered, hugging Edward tightly. Carlisle chuckled slightly. "Alright, how about you sit on Edward's lap while I take a look at your leg? Would that be better, Bella?" he asked gently. I nodded my head, my face still buried in Edward's neck.

Carlisle left to take his medical kit, and Edward carried me to the couch. He sat down and cradled me against his chest. "Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked quietly, his face a grimace.

I studied him. He looked upset that I was hurt, and I didn't want to make him upset. So I shook my head. "It's okay," I whispered. "I fall down a lot."

But my angel didn't look as if he believed me. He stroked my hair, and I closed my eyes, resting the side of my head against his chest. Strange. I couldn't feel his heart beat the way I could with mommy and daddy sometimes.

Before I could ask, Carlisle was already coming towards us. I squirmed in Edward's lap. I knew Carlisle was a good person, and I liked him. He reminded me a lot of daddy. But he was a doctor. I hate doctors. I hate going to the hospital.

When he opened his bag and plunged his hand inside, I blurted out, "No needles!"

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at me, and smiled amusedly. I flushed a furious red. "I don't like needles," I mumbled, dropping my gaze.

Edward chuckled, and kissed my forehead softly. "I promise he won't use needles, Bella," he said.

I looked up into his twinkling topaz eyes and smiled.

Carlisle examined the scrape on my knee, and my slightly swollen ankle. "It's sprained," he confirmed. He bandaged up my ankle and placed a band-aid on my knee.

I felt a vibration near Edward's abdomen and watched as he took out a tiny silver cell phone from his shirt pocket. "Alice," he said exasperatedly. "No, she's fine. Really. I'm not-why would I do that?" he sounded angry.

I shot a look at Carlisle, but looked like he was about to start laughing. What was going on?

Edward handed me the phone. "Alice wants to talk to you," he said.

I took the tiny phone and placed it at my ear. "Bella, how's the day so far?" I heard her melodious voice.

"Fine," I replied. "I fell down," I frowned at that. I wondered if all children fell down all the time. It didn't seem likely-my friends at school didn't fall as much as I did.

"Are you okay!?" I held the phone away from my ear for a little while. How could she be so loud?

"Yes. Carlisle didn't use needles," I announced happily. Edward and Carlisle both laughed at this.

"We'll be back by tomorrow, okay, Bella? When you wake up, we'll be there," she promised.

I nodded my head before remembering that she couldn't see me. "Okay," I sighed, settling back into Edward's chest. "Have fun, Alice," I smiled.

I gave the phone back to Edward who shut it off.

He smiled down at me-a big, crooked grin that made me blush for some reason.

"What would you like for breakfast, Bella?"

******************************************************************************

_So there's a limited Bella cuteness in this chapter, but the rest was necessary I think. Don't worry. Bella fluff on it's way next, along with a certain Alice vision._

_I feel the need to clarify that Carlisle isn't working at Forks hospital-he was just hunting with Edward near the area. He's working at another hospital nearer to their home. This is because when they're 16, Bella's going to move back to Forks with the rest of the Cullens._

_And, also, Bella blushing because of Edward was because of her growing affections for him. It's not romantic love, not yet. It's just that she looks up to him. So soon? YES. She loves him already, though she probably won't say it, being so young and all._

_So here's chapter 4, chapter 5 will be up within the hour. Please review, because I love to hear what you think. Reviews are inspiration, so hit me with them._


	5. Meadows and Visions

_**A/N: **__Just like I promised._

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Alice, Bella, Edward, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

The vision of Bella falling down the stairs took me completely by surprise, and allowed the lion I was targeting to escape. I rolled my eyes, too worried to care, and took out my cell phone. Thank God Rosalie was nowhere in sight-she'd barge straight home if she knew.

"Edward!" I shrieked into the phone, trying my level best to keep from shouting at vampire volume. Rose would definitely hear that. "What's this I see about Bella falling? Is she hurt? Is she okay? Why didn't you check up on her the moment we left? Where is she?"

I could hear the exasperation in his voice as he sighed my name, trying to keep my questions from overflowing. "Don't you sigh at me, Edward Cullen!" I fumed. "Is she badly hurt?"

"No, she's fine," Edward replied. I breathed out in relief.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Are you lying to me?"

"I'm not," came his defensive reply. "Why would I do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders, sensing Jasper approaching me. He would be next to me in three seconds. "I don't know, to pacify me for one? To keep me from yelling at you for your stupidity?" I snapped back. I could practically see Edward fuming. Jasper slipped his hand in mine, and I immediately felt him calming me. I shot him a grateful look.

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm just worried for her, that's all. Could you please put Bella on the phone?" I asked sweetly. I knew he wouldn't hold it against me.

I heard the phone being passed to Bella, and said, "Bella. How's the day so far?" I couldn't just ask her if she was alright-Edward hadn't called me, I'd called him. It would be suspicious, even to a six year old, and especially to Bella. She was much too observant for her own good.

A moment later, I heard Bella's sweet voice in my ear. I smiled. "Fine. I fell down." I heard the sadness in her voice at the mention of falling down, and felt my own dead heart break. Why were we so protective of her? This little girl had gotten us all to love her within two and a half days. Amazing.

"Are you okay!?"

I knew Edward wouldn't lie, but I still needed to hear it from her. "Yes. Carlisle didn't use needles." She sounded happy about that. Well, it was to be expected that children wouldn't enjoy having needles being poked through their skin.

"We'll be back by tomorrow, okay, Bella? When you wake up, we'll be there."

"Okay," I heard her sigh. "Have fun, Alice."

I closed the phone and turned to Jasper. He also had a worried look on his face, hearing Bella said that she fell. But he was calm, knowing she was alright.

I missed Bella already. Her sweet voice, her angelic face, her deep brown eyes…I sighed. Have fun? Hardly.

I gripped at Jazz's hand, ready to track a new prey.

The vision hit me then. Hard and fast.

_A sixteen year old Bella, dancing in Edward's arms, both gazing lovingly into each other's eyes._

Another vision hit me the moment that one ended.

_A seventeen year old Bella, wrapped in Edward's embrace, their lips moving together against each other's mouths, their bodies glued together, their faces glowing. Then Edward pulled back and said "I love you, Bella." She smiled lovingly at him, her gentle, human fingers caressing his face softly. "I love you too, Edward."_

I gasped, blinking. I was back in the present. Edward and Bella. Together? Oh, my…I slowed down to a stop, and Jasper looked at me, confused by my sudden behavior.

Edward and Bella would fall in love with each other. How was this possible? Was it possible? Oh, wow.

Then I started to smile, jumping up and down. This was great! I knew Edward's love for Bella wasn't very brotherly. He looked at her differently, like she was something he needed to protect beyond reason.

But in love?

I knew they didn't feel that way about each other now. For God's sake, she was six! But they were going to be. It was in their future. And this was something that couldn't change. Her destiny was set. She was going to be with us. Falling in love wasn't a decision, it was just fate.

I hugged Jasper, squealing excitedly. If I can't wait to shop with Bella after this adoption issue was settled, then it was impossible to be patient for Bella to become a teenager and watch Edward and Bella fall in love with each other.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was the true miracle.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Edward didn't let me walk, because he didn't want me to hurt my injured ankle. He carried me to the kitchen and sat me down on a chair at the kitchen isle. It was a very tall chair, but Edward made sure I wouldn't fall before walking towards the fridge.

I'd told him that I wanted more of Esme's pasta for breakfast, and he'd made me promise to drink a glass of apple juice for energy first. I'd agreed.

I watched Edward moved around the house, pouring a glass of apple juice for me. He handed me the plastic mug Alice had gotten for me, the word 'Princess' scrawled in glittering purple print on the blue surface. I sipped the apple juice and waited for Edward to reheat some of the leftover pasta for my breakfast.

Carlisle had gone to his study to put away his medical kit. It was just Edward and I in the kitchen. I frowned, thinking. I loved the entire Cullen family. They were incredibly nice to me, and I felt wonderful when I was with them. I missed mommy and daddy. A lot. But the Cullens made me feel like I had a home with them, like it was okay for me to be happy here. They made me feel like a family.

Carlisle and Esme were like my dad and mom. They reminded me of them a lot. Esme read me stories just like my mom did.

Emmett and Jasper were like brothers I never had. They always made me laugh with their jokes. Emmett was especially funny. Even when he didn't try to be. Sometimes I don't understand his jokes, though, but he was always saying things in a funny voice or making funny faces so I laughed anyway. And I always felt happy around Jasper.

Alice was like my friend. She gets excited about everything! It was so fun to watch her and play with her. She kept talking about shopping, though…I hoped she wouldn't drag me to the mall. I always hated it whenever my mom brought me to the mall. Shopping was boring to me. More often than not, I fell asleep while my mom shopped.

Rosalie was somewhere in between an overprotective older sister and a mom. I think she and Esme would make great mommies. She's always so kind, and she helped to kick Alice out when she wanted to play dress up with me when I was too tired. She also always brushed my hair before bed, and kissed my forehead before I went to sleep.

But Edward didn't feel like a brother or a parent. He felt…Like my best friend. I couldn't explain it. My feelings for the Cullens were very strong. I felt like I've known them for years instead of days. I love them all very much. But Edward was different. I kept feeling like he understood me, and how I felt. He was very protective of me, and even when he kept his distance, I knew he would do anything I asked him to.

Yes, he was my best friend in the whole world.

Edward sat next to me, and smiled. I smiled back-he never lied to me or smiled phony. It was always genuine. I liked that.

He placed a plate of pasta in front of me and my smile widened. My stomach was already grumbling wildly. I grabbed the plastic fork and dug in hungrily.

I wondered what I was going to do today. I didn't feel like watching more movies-we'd done that all day Friday. I wanted to go out of the house, maybe go to the park. But it was already clouding over. It could rain. And Edward wouldn't let me walk.

Suddenly, Carlisle appeared in the kitchen. "Edward, Bella," he called out. We both turned to him. Edward was already frowning. "I have to go to the hospital for a quick while. Do you mind watching her for a few hours, Edward?"

Edward was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. "Sure. It's not a problem, Carlisle. I'll call if anything comes up," he assured Carlisle.

Carlisle smiled brightly at Edward then came forward to talk to me. "Be good, will you, Bella?" he asked. He spoke it so fatherly that it made me tear up. I nodded my head, and raised my arms towards him, indicating that I wanted a hug. Carlisle chuckled and obliged, hugging me for a while. He released me, and kissed my hair. "I'll be back soon."

I fell silent, and stared at my plate. I didn't bother to pick up my fork again. I suddenly felt sick. I missed my parents. They were gone. How could I even think of replacing them, especially so suddenly?

Edward poked my shoulder gently, and I looked at him. He smiled sadly at me. "What's wrong, Bella?" he whispered, his sweet breath blowing into my face. My tears started to fall, and Edward hugged me, rocking me gently.

"I miss my parents," I mumbled once I calmed down enough to speak without sobbing between words. "I feel guilty," I admitted.

Edward pulled back slightly to look at me, surprised. "Why, Bella?"

I shrugged. "I feel bad for feeling happy when I'm here. But they're gone. I shouldn't be happy."

Edward shook his head, and smoothed back my hair. "No, Bella," he said firmly. "You should be happy. You deserve it. Your parents are in heaven, remember? They're happy there, too. And I'll tell you what," he leaned forward, as if he was about to tell me a secret. Unwittingly, I leaned forward to hear it.

"They're watching over you," he whispered conspiratorially. "And they wouldn't be very happy if you were sad all the time."

But it wouldn't be right for me to be happy either, was it?

As if he could tell, Edward continued talking, "It's okay to be sad. They were your parents. But be happy that you're okay, and that they're in heaven now. Be happy that you have a whole new family to be with."

I sniffed, nodding my head. Then I smiled at him. "Does this mean I get to stay?"

Edward stared at me for a long moment, before he matched the grin on my face. "Yes, Bella. It means you get to stay."

I considered this. It would be amazing if I got to stay. I already feel at home with the Cullens. It would be very hard to leave.

I glanced into Edward's topaz eyes shyly. "Does this mean you want me to stay?"

Edward smiled and kissed my forehead. "Of course, Bella," he said quietly. He pulled back to look at me seriously. "I want you to stay," he said firmly, nodding his head.

I resumed eating my pasta happily, and finished it faster than I've ever eaten anything. I turned to face Edward again. "Can we go out?" I asked. "Please?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Bella," he said disapprovingly. "You just hurt your ankle."

I pouted at him. "Please?" I tried again. "I don't wanna watch movies today. Please?"

I could already see him ready to give in. Finally, he sighed in defeat and I grinned, cheering silently. "Fine," he grumbled. "Where do you want to go?"

I stopped. Where did I want to go? I didn't actually have a specific place in mind. I just wanted to get out of the house for a little while, get some fresh air. I shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know," I admitted.

Edward thought for a moment, then he smiled. "Come on, little Bella," he said, standing up and lifting me into his arms effortlessly. I locked my arms around his neck. "I think I know where we could go."

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I had to move slower than usual because Bella was still unaware of my nature. I carried her out to the Volvo, again amazed that she had gotten me to do what she wanted without much effort at all.

I was going to bring her to my meadow.

It was a place I always went to whenever I needed to escape. Living with my family, that happened quite often. We'd been to our house in Olympia quite often. This meadow had been a part of my existence for the past fifty years. Whenever we came here, I always found myself being drawn to the meadow.

I drove under the speed limit, as well. I didn't want to scare Bella, or injure her. Not that I believed I would lose control of the car, of course. I just didn't want to chance anything.

When we finally reached the path, I pulled over. I turned around to look at Bella. She had to sit in the back because she was still a child.

Bella looked around curiously. "Where are we?" she asked, tilting her head to one side, looking at me inquisitively. I shook my head. I'd just brought her to the middle of nowhere and instead of being scared, she was curious? My God.

"I have a special place," I told her. "It's very nice there. Very calming. But we're going to have to walk a little, is that okay?"

Bella frowned and looked down at her lap. Was her sense of danger finally kicking in? I felt a strange sense of depression seeping in, instead of the hope I thought I would feel.

"What's wrong?"

Three times today I'd asked her that. I had never been so concerned about a human's welfare before. I'd never been this concerned about anyone's welfare before.

"I won't be able to walk and not fall in there," she told me sadly, pointing at the trees.

I chuckled, relief spreading through me irrationally. "Silly Bella," I said, smiling. "I'm going to carry you."

With that, I climbed out of the car, and rushed as fast as humanly possible to Bella's side. I opened her door and unbuckled her seat belt. I lifted her into my arms, carefully maneuvering her out of the car so her head and swollen ankle wouldn't hit the side of the car.

I slammed the door shut and shifted her into a more comfortable position in my arms. Even though I was walking just slightly faster than an average human, Bella didn't seem to question or mind it. In fact, she closed her eyes and smiled as the light breeze brushed against her skin.

It took a long time to reach the meadow.

When we finally reached, Bella's head was nestled against the crook of my neck, and her light breathing told me she had fallen asleep. I smiled, and gently woke her up.

"Bella, we're here."

She stirred, and straightened up in my arms, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Bella yawned a little, and looked around. Her beautiful chocolate eyes widened and she gasped. "It's so pretty!" she breathed.

I laughed and nodded my head. Yes, I suppose it was. I walked over to the middle of the rounded meadow and sat down on the grass, setting Bella down next to me. I made sure to be careful of her ankle She was still looking around the place in awe.

"So you like it, then? I teased.

Bella grinned at me. "I love it," she corrected. "Thank you for letting me go out today."

I smiled. Really, this girl was too adorable. I laid back on the grass and a moment later, Bella followed me. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax. There was just enough clouds to block the sun, so my skin wasn't glittering. But Alice had told me it wouldn't rain until Wednesday, so we were safe.

I was just happy Bella was happy. I knew being cooped up in a house for nearly three days couldn't be fun for a six year old. It wasn't even fun for me. Bella was certainly enjoyable company, but she needed fresh air, too.

I'd never brought anyone to my meadow before. It was my place of escape. But Bella could come. I didn't know why exactly I felt comfortable sharing this private piece of my life with this human girl, but she just seemed trustworthy to me.

I sighed as I thought of our connection. In the few days I've known her, I seemed to have forged a certain kind of connection with Bella. I didn't know what it was, but it was odd enough. Now that Bella would be living with us, I suppose I'd have the time to figure it out.

I never blamed Carlisle for turning me. My life was over when he changed me. I was grateful for it. I had an entire family now. They were a little insane sometimes, to put it mildly, but I loved them all nonetheless.

Life could be a miserably endless string of days sometimes, though. I knew the others wouldn't necessarily agree with me. They had their significant others. They were fine.

I didn't need love. I was fine on my own. I had no interest in finding a mate, and I knew that concerned Esme to no end. She thought my misery would be diminished if I were to find that one special mate.

But I _had _love. I had my family. That was enough. Misery didn't come from being lonely, it came from having to repeat the same charade over and over again. It came from pretending to be something I wasn't. It came from having to hear inane human thoughts every time we were around them.

In a way, being secluded in Olympia was a good thing.

But Bella was different than other humans. Correction, she was just different, period. I couldn't read her mind. I get pure silence when I'm around her. While that scared me, worried me, I was blissful. I was in peace, left to my own thoughts when it was just Bella and I.

It wasn't just peace I felt. I felt love. I felt _loved_. Her innocence, her childlike manner, her warmth…They made me feel like I've never felt before. Beyond the familiar feeling of family. It was…Friendship. And trust. And loyalty.

I sighed again, too soft for her human ears.

This connection I felt with her, I didn't understand it. I don't think she felt it, because not only was she human, she was six years old. A mere child. But it was strong. I could feel it. And undoubtedly, it would only intensify as she grew older.

What it meant, I had no clue.

But one thing was very clear.

This human child had captured my heart, just like she had captured the affections of all the others. I knew she could have asked me to give my life to her, and I would gladly do so.

In just three days, Bella had managed to become the uninvited focal point of my existence.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

I heard Alice's squeal from the other side of the forest. Normally, I would let it go. Leave it to Alice to squeal in the middle of a hunt.

But Bella was a factor now. She could've gotten a vision of Bella. What was it? Was it good or bad? Was that a happy squeal or a panicked squeal? Did Bella learn something new? Was she looking adorable doing something? What was it?

Not knowing made my chest ached, and I tugged at Emmett's hand. He had just finished his second bear. I wanted to get to Alice. He nodded, and followed me.

When we reached Alice, she was jumping around, hugging Jasper at the same time. She wasn't done squealing yet.

Jasper looked as bewildered as Emmett and I.

"Alice," I interrupted. She didn't stop.

I glanced at Jasper, annoyed. He chuckled, then placed a hand on Alice's shoulder. I knew he was calming her down because the effects were obvious. She was still grinning like a maniac, though.

"I just had a vision," she announced proudly.

So what? Alice has visions all the time.

"Of Bella falling?" Jasper said, puzzled.

Alarm kicked into my senses. "Bella fell?" I shouted.

Alice, Jasper and Emmett all jumped. Then Alice waved it aside. "Don't worry. Edward and Carlisle took care of it," she said. I was still worried, so she added, "Really. She told me herself she was fine when I called."

I nodded and forced myself to relax. Jasper helped.

"Anyway, I just had another vision, and this one is the best vision I've _ever _had!" Alice started squealing again.

When she calmed down again, she regaled her vision, every detail spilled out without a beat. I listened with rapt attention.

Edward would fall in love with Bella? Well, that was a little strange. Still, she would be seventeen by then, so it wouldn't be all that odd anymore. I glanced around me. Jasper and Emmett were grinning almost as widely as Alice. They believed it was a good thing.

On one hand I was happy for Edward. He'd spent a long time being alone and miserable. It wasn't just Esme who believed it was his lack of a mate that caused him to be the real life Grinch the whole year round.

But on the other hand, I was jealous. Bella was supposed to be mine. My second chance. My daughter. My new start.

And suddenly, it was fated that he would fall in love with her?

I felt cheated of my time with Bella.

"You've got more than ten years, Rose," Jasper said suddenly. I glanced at him guiltily. I didn't want to be caught being self-centered about this. "Besides, the way you treat her…" He shook his head. "She loves you. Edward won't replace that. He's got a different kind of her love."

I grinned at that. It was true, what he was saying. Besides, if I were to be angry about this, I was being selfish. After all, wasn't Bella going to fall in love with Edward, too? This was for her. This was about her. Not me.

"Are you going to tell him?" I asked Alice, curious.

I couldn't help but wonder what Edward would say once he finds out.

"Tell who what?" Esme asked, appearing behind us. All of us, but Alice, jumped. We'd been so involved with what Alice was saying we hadn't paid attention to Esme approaching.

Alice grinned, happy that she would get another opportunity to tell the story of her visions. When she was done, Esme was smiling proudly. She looked as if she could cry if she could.

"This is very good news, Alice," Esme said, pulling Alice in for a hug.

"So should we tell him?" I repeated my earlier question.

Alice considered, then shook her head. "Not for now. I don't know how long we could keep it a secret, but I think we need to get him a little less on edge about Bella staying first, then we'll tell him," she said determinedly.

I sighed. Keeping a secret from Edward? Nearly impossible.

Of course, Emmett viewed this as a challenge. Being Emmett, he didn't back down. "Bring it on," he cackled, rubbing his hands together.

I rolled my eyes.

******************************************************************************

_Okay, tell me what you think of this chapter. Man, I'm sore! And beyond tired. I feel like a zombie. And this is exactly why I expect plenty of reviews. Pretty please? Thank you!!!_


	6. Dear Readers, I Need Your Help

**Just an author's note, guys…Please read because it involves two IMPORTANT topics…**

Okay, seeing as how I hate these things, I know you do, too. Probably. So I'll get straight to the point.

I desperately need your help deciding two things for this story.

The first will be WHEN WILL EDWARD FIND OUT ABOUT ALICE'S VISION?? I wanted it to be a few years from now, when Bella's older, and Edward's starting to realize and all, but that would be a little unrealistic. Get real-Emmett?? Keep a secret this big from Edward for years?? Besides, it's all of them. What are the chances not one of them will slip?? I could probably twist it all around or something and I could see it as a funny thing (his reaction), but I want to know what you think. Should Edward find out when Bella's 7 - 9 years old or should he find out when she's 13 - 15??

On to the second thing…

After Bella joins the family legally and officially, the Cullens would have to move. It's their time, anyway to go someplace else. What I want to know is…Would you prefer the Cullens to move to Alaska, where they would no doubt have interaction with the Denali clan? Or would you prefer they move to a secluded part of London which is as equally rainy as Forks? Bear in mind that the timeline of their stay in Alaska or London would be from when Bella's seven, all the way until she's thirteen. Then they move somewhere else for a few years until they're ready to move to Forks. I don't particularly like Tanya even though she was nice at the wedding. Mainly because she wants Edward. So if the Cullens move to Denali, I'm going to make her as annoying as possible. So tell me, Denali with Tanya or London with new vampires with equal amounts of humor??

I really want to know your honest opinion because I'm at a crossroads with these particular decisions, so please tell me. I'm wrecking my brain here just attempting to decide what to write. Know that I've drunk enough coffee to impress Lorelai Gilmore at this point…So tell me your honest opinions on these two subjects, I'll just go with which one most people want.

Thank you. The next two chapters will be up within two hours, and Save Me will also have updates by today. I'll also update my other stories. Today will be a busy day so keep checking.

Once again, thanks.

Juliet L. B.


	7. Edward & Bella's Day

_**A/N:** Hi, guys. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I'm overwhelmed but greedy for more at the same time. LOL. Seriously, I'm touched. On to the next chapter, then. Here we go._

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **Edward, Emmett, Bella_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

We stayed silent for a while in the meadow. I was just laying back, my eyes closed, enjoying the serenity that this place brought me. Strangely enough, it felt even more refreshing with Bella next to me. Her presence lifted a certain suffocating feeling in the atmosphere I'd never even realized was there.

I told myself it was because of her scent-freesia, innocence, beauty and grace, mixed in together. But even I couldn't deny the connection I felt between us, growing stronger by the day.

I didn't particularly understand it. I'd never actually thought of having children before, so being around Bella, having her in my life…It felt nothing like fatherly love. But it didn't feel like brotherly love, either.

If it wasn't one or the other, then what was it? I could grow frustrated just thinking about it.

Maybe Bella was right about needing to get out of the house.

"Edward?" I heard her whisper, her warm, soothing breath caressing my neck. I opened my eyes and looked to my right, where she was lying down next to me on the grass. Her brown eyes were wide as she waited for my response. I smiled at her, encouraging her to continue.

"What's your favorite color?"

My grin grew wider. My favorite color? I'd never been asked that question before. Of course, I'd never actually spent time with a six year old girl before, either.

I turned at human speed, so that I was lying on my side, facing her. I propped myself up on one arm, resting my weight on my elbow and cradling my head in my palm. I scrunched up my face in mock concentration, amusing Bella.

Brown? For the color of her eyes. Pink? For the color of her blushing cheeks. Mahogany? For the color of her hair. Cream? For the color of her skin.

But I couldn't say any of that. Emmett would crucify me if he knew I'd even thought of pink.

So I said, "Blue." It was true-I liked blue. Especially in Bella's room.

My God. Since when did my entire existence revolved around this one human girl?

Her eyes lit up and she smiled excitedly. "My room is blue!" she announced.

I nodded my head, and smiled. So much for hoping that Bella wouldn't make the connection. I fought the urge to sigh-it wouldn't surprise me if Bella would be the one who uncovered what we were instead of us telling her. It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

I hoped she could retain her innocence for as long as possible, though. I didn't want her immersed in a world of vampires and demons and monsters. I wanted her immersed in a world of fairytales and hopes and dreams and happy endings. It might not be realistic, but she was just a child. She shouldn't worry about monsters lurking in the shadows. She should be happy and content and innocent.

I'd hate to take that away from her.

"Edward?" Bella whispered again. I blinked out of my haze and gazed at her. She was biting down on her bottom lip and she looked concerned. Before I had a chance to ask, Bella reached out to trace my eyes with her small fingers. Her wrist was not even an inch away from my nose. I could smell her freesia scent more potently now. I stopped breathing.

"You looked so sad," she murmured. "Why are you sad, Edward?"

Her brown orbs held me captivated, and I thought of an answer for her. Slowly, very slowly, I took a timid breath. Her scent enveloped me, taking over my senses. I stopped breathing again immediately, but I'd already taken in a strong dose of freesia. I closed my eyes so she wouldn't see the coal black fire I knew was now blazing in my eyes.

I felt myself calm down, and when I opened my eyes, Bella was still staring at me curiously. Her small hand had dropped back to the grass, though, for which I'm incredibly thankful for.

I felt horrible. Only a monster like me could claim to feel a connection with an angel like Bella, and would still feel the overpowering urge to taste her blood the next second.

"I'm not sad, Bella," I said quietly. She narrowed her eyes at me, her gaze unwavering. She didn't believe me. I sighed inwardly. How could a six year old be so intuitive?

Bella rolled on her back and laid down in a supine position. I felt the gentle breeze on my skin, and smiled. Next to me, though, Bella shivered ever so slightly. I glanced down at her worriedly. I could already see the goose bumps on her skin.

"You're cold," I remarked.

Bella looked up at me, her brown orbs defiant. "Nah-uh!" she exclaimed, her bottom lip jutting out stubbornly.

I chuckled. "Come on, Bella. Let's go home, okay?"

She turned her head away from me, still stubborn, and stared at the surrounding flora. "No."

I sighed. Honestly. Was this some sort of phase every child goes through? If it was, I hoped she would get over it soon enough. I wouldn't want to be strict with her. I had the distinct impression that Rosalie would be the strict mother when it came down to it. I just wanted to be the best friend, the good guy she could always run to or talk to. Whenever she needed me, I wanted to be there for her.

"Bella, you're being obstinate," I said gently. I really needed to get her out of the cold. The gentle breeze had picked up into a stronger wind. She was cold enough-I didn't want her to get sick.

At this, Bella turned to look at me. She shot me a quizzical look. "What's _obinide_?" she garbled out the word.

My shoulders shook at my vain attempt not to laugh at her mispronunciation. _Remember, Edward, you're talking to a child_, my brain reminded me. I opened my eyes to find Bella scowling at me, glaring at me under the thick lashes.

"It means you're being stubborn," I explained. This only served to make her angrier, and she turned away from me, laying on her side, her back facing me. I sighed, and reached out to poke her arm gently. I didn't want to touch her bare skin for too long-my cold hand would only make it worse.

When she didn't turn around or acknowledge the fact that I was right next to her, I tried a different tack. "Please, Bella?" I pleaded softly. "I only want to make sure you don't get sick…How will you play with Emmett, Jazz and I tomorrow if you get sick?"

I heard her heartbeat speed up at the mention of playing with the three of us. I laughed quietly to myself, and continued. "Come on, Bella. Please? It's cold for me, too…" I lied. "Could we go home? I promise we could watch Peter Pan later."

Bella turned around to look at me, her eyes glittering. Peter Pan was her favorite story of all time. She didn't particularly like the other fairytales where the damsel in distress had to be saved. Peter Pan was a story of adventure, in her opinion. She loved it when Esme read the story to her before bedtime. Emmett, being Emmett, always played out the characters for her while Esme read. She fell asleep due to exhaustion from laughing too much more than anything.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

I nodded my head and made a cross over my dead heart. "Cross my heart," I said solemnly.

Bella laughed, and nodded her head. We both stood up, and I took Bella in my arms again. She tucked her head in the crook of my neck, and soon we were off. I was glad I was able to do this without her realizing what I was.

A monster.

I felt sadness when I thought of the day when Bella found out. Would she still want me as her friend? As her family? Would she want to stay with us?

The obvious answer came at my full force. No. Of course not. She'd scream and hide, and beg for us to let her leave.

I sighed.

Maybe we should tell her before the adoption. It would be too late by then. She would be an official Cullen.

But if we told her, and she wanted to leave, would she tell on us? I believed she wouldn't. I trusted her.

And Emmett would argue that even if she did tell, who would believe the story of a six year old girl?

But it hurt to think that Bella would be away from us, from me. That she would find another home, and forget about us. That would be for the best, I think, but it would hurt too much. Could I let her go? Would I allow it? Or would I skulk around the corners watching out for her? I would do that to keep her safe. Who knew what was out there? Someone could hurt her.

My grip around her tightened, though not enough to even hurt her fragile body.

No one would hurt my Bella. She was safe with me. Safest with us. I wouldn't let her go.

******************************************************************************

When we got home, Bella was asleep again. I didn't want to wake her up so I parked in the garage and carried her inside to her room. I laid her down on her bed, and started to move away. "Edward…" she mumbled.

I smiled and turned around. Had she awakened already?

I looked down on her angelic face and frowned. No, her eyes were still closed. Her breathing was still even. Her heartbeat was steady. Then why did she call out my name?

"Alice, no dress-up," Bella squirmed in her sleep.

A grin broke out on my lips. Bella sleep-talked! This was going to be very interesting. I sat down on the floor next to her head, and waited for her to say more.

"I wanna kitty…"

A kitten? Well, I wasn't so sure about that…It wasn't as if any of us would be pouncing on the thing at any given opportunity, of course. We do have our restraint, and a small kitten wouldn't actually sustain us for any period of time. Besides, if we could handle Bella, we could handle a cat. And Jasper has been amazing so far…I wondered if Rosalie would object to this. A cat would include fur balls and other disgusting things that would only come out of an animal. And Esme probably won't be too happy about her furniture getting scratched on…

"Pretty flowers…"

Pretty flowers? Was she talking of the meadow?

"Not cold."

Ah, yes, she was. I smiled to myself. She was being stubborn even in her sleep. And if she was stubborn now, I'd hate to think of how stubborn she would get when she grew up.

I was glad, though, that I had the opportunity to share my meadow with her. Bella seemed to enjoy the serenity of it as much as I did. I couldn't tell for sure, of course. Her mind is as quiet to me now as it was the first time I laid eyes on her. I suppose I should be a little more concerned about this than I was, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, really.

What was the harm in my not being able to read Bella's mind other than the fact that it drove me crazy not to know what she was thinking all the time?

If it had been a threat, laughable as it was to think of Bella being a threat, then Carlisle would have been more alarmed. All I heard in his thoughts, though, were interest and surprise.

"Mommy…" My head snapped back to Bella's sleeping form. Her face was contorted-she looked pained. I could only guess that her dreams had taken a turn for the worse. "Mommy, daddy, wait!" she whimpered. Her legs thrashed under the covers, her small hands curling into fists, grasping at the covers.

I inched closer to the bed on my knees, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Bella, wake up," I whispered. I couldn't bear for her to be in this pain. I knew it hurt for her to lose her parents. She was so young. Her mind and body were so little, and yet she'd been hit with the worse possible trauma. How she didn't curl up in a corner, sobbing nonstop was beyond me.

She was still whimpering. "Bella, wake up," I said louder, shaking her again.

Bella's eyes flew open, and she looked around wildly. Her gaze swept past me for a moment. Then her tired eyes fell on me, and she started to sob. "I had nightmare," she mumbled as I pulled the closer to me.

My heart broke listening to her cracked voice, to her uncontrollable sobs. "I know," I whispered, rubbing her back soothingly.

When she calmed down, I pulled back and smiled. I reached up and wiped away the remaining tears on her cheeks.

"What do you say to lunch?" I asked her with a smile.

Bella shrugged, still downtrodden. I placed a finger under her chin and gently tugged until her eyes met mine. Her eyes and nose were pink from crying. "It'll be okay, Bella," I said reassuringly. "I promise it'll get better."

She looked at me incredulously. Alright, I had to give her that. She was actually more mature than her own age sometimes.

"Don't you trust me?" I gave her a mock pout.

She started to laugh. I suppose I do look ridiculous. But for Bella, I'd do it all again. "I trust you," Bella said seriously, before bursting into laughter again at my expression.

I smiled at her. "Well, then. Trust me when I say it's going to get better."

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I went to wash my face while Edward went to make me lunch. I told him not to-we could just order pizza. Daddy did that once when mommy had to go to Phoenix to visit her sick best friend. But he told me not to tell mommy.

Edward said that Rose and Esme would kill him if he ordered pizza instead of cook something healthy for me. I hoped that didn't include broccoli.

I went down the stairs even slower and more carefully than usual. I'd already fallen over once today, but knowing me, I'd probably fall over again. Thankfully, I made it to the bottom without tripping once. I did stumble a little when I got to the living room but Edward was already there to steady me.

"I made you a turkey sandwich," he told me, chuckling at my clumsiness. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled the whole time Edward was carrying me to the dining room. He sat me down on the seat with the plate of sandwich in front of it, but I was too little. My nose reached the table, and I had to stretch to reach the sandwich.

Edward was laughing as he observed this, but I didn't find it funny. I found it embarrassing. To my horror, tears started to well in my eyes. I always cried when I was angry. This time was no different.

I blinked furiously, hoping that Edward wouldn't see, but he had of course. Immediately, he lifted me out of the chair and sat down himself, settling me on his lap. Much better.

"Bella, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry…"

I shook my head, and reached for the plastic mug in front of me. He'd given me plain water-something Rosalie had made him give me during meals after learning that I'd conned him into giving me chocolate milk with every meal.

I didn't want to talk now. My irrational, angry tears would only spill if I opened my mouth. But the lump in my throat was too big for me to swallow turkey sandwich either, so I sipped the water carefully, waiting for the tears to subside.

When they did, I flashed Edward a timid smile. His answering smile was a dazzling, crooked grin. I flushed a little and turned around on his lap to eat the sandwich. He was a surprisingly good cook. I thought only mommies cook. My daddy was terrible at it. And he liked to eat fish. A lot. I didn't understand that.

But Edward wasn't my daddy. He was my best friend, I think. I wasn't sure about that. I thought he was, but he was older. I don't know if he thought I was his best friend, too.

I shot him a look, and his smile widened. "What are you thinking about, Bella?" he asked.

I shrugged, and continued to chew on my sandwich. I didn't want him to know. If he didn't think I was his best friend, then I would be very sad. I didn't want to think of that.

I finished my sandwich faster than I would have liked. I'd already downed a whole glass of water.

"Won't you tell me what you were thinking of?"

I rolled my eyes. Edward had been asking me this question since I gave him that look. Did he ever give up? I was just about to scream with frustration.

"Will you get me a glass of chocolate milk?" I asked him hopefully. He gave me a reprimanding look. I knew it was because of Rosalie. She was scary when she was mad. I still wanted chocolate milk, though. My sandwich was already finished. Lunch was over. I just wanted one glass. Besides, maybe Edward would forget his question if I distracted him.

So I batted my lashes at him and gave him a wide smile. I knew this would get me anything-I tried it on him yesterday when I wanted to watch Snow White the second time in a row. It worked like a charm. "Please?"

"Only after you answer my question first," he grinned evilly.

I scowled, and turned away from him. I didn't want to see his face when I asked. "I was just wondering if you were my best friend."

There was silence. I felt the tears starting to form again. Why did I cry all the time? It was hardly a good thing. In fact, it was very embarrassing. Especially when I kept doing it in front of Edward.

Then he spoke. "Bella," he called out. His voice was soft, gentle. Velvet. "Bella, won't you look at me?"

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. The last time he'd asked me to do something, I ended up tearing up. I wasn't about to do it again less than a minute after.

"Please?"

I still refused.

"If you don't look at me, then how will I tell you that you are the most amazing best friend a guy could ask for?"

I whipped around to look at him, shocked. He was grinning from ear to ear, his golden eyes twinkling. "Really?" I whispered.

He nodded his head, wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me closer for a hug. It was all quite awkward since I was still sitting on him.

When he pulled back, I said, "Chocolate milk, please." I smirked-there was no way he could get out of this one. He still looked reluctant. He opened his mouth to argue but I clapped my small hand over his mouth. "If you don't gimme, I'll tell Esme you lied when you promised," I threatened.

Edward sighed. "You," he touched the tip of my nose with his finger lightly. "Are the most dangerous little girl in the whole world, you know that?"

I started to laugh. I highly doubted that. Even on my best day I fell twice. How could a klutz like me be dangerous to anyone? And I was little, too. Compared to Rosalie, I was nothing scary. And compared to Emmett…Well, forget it!

Edward raised an eyebrow at this, and started to tickle me. Which only made me laugh harder. Tears were falling from my eyes from laughing so much. "Stop!" I squealed. He only stopped when I was in danger of falling off his lap from squirming too much. He readjusted me while standing up, and carried me and the plate and mug to the kitchen.

"You're strong," I commented.

Edward laughed and grinned at me. "This is nothing. Wait 'til you see Emmett carry the TV all on his own," he teased.

"No way!"

Edward set me on the kitchen isle. It was pretty high from the ground, but I didn't have a fear of height. I waited for Edward to wash the plate and pour me a glass of chocolate milk. I drank it happily when Edward gave it to me.

The phone rang all of a sudden and I glanced at the blue cordless at the end of the kitchen isle. I think the Cullens had a phone in every room. Edward walked over to pick it up. "Yes? Child Services?"

I looked at him. I still wasn't sure what Child Services meant, but I had the feeling that it wasn't a good thing.

"No, my father's not home…Yes, I know for a fact that he was right about wanting to adopt her. Yes. Yes, alright, I'll tell my parents when they get home."

He hung up the phone, and when he turned back to look at me a moment later, he looked half tired half excited.

"Who's dat?" I asked, my mouth hidden in the mug. I didn't want Edward to see me frowning.

He smiled. "That was the nice lady from Child Services. They called about you," he told me, walking over to me. He lifted me into his arms and carried me, chocolate milk in mug and all, to the living room. He sat me down on the couch and took his rightful place next to me.

For some reason, I started to panic. "About me?" I asked, my eyes widening. "Are they gon' take me 'way?"

Suddenly, chocolate didn't taste so appetizing anymore. I pushed the mug into Edward's hands, too short to actually reach the coffee table. He did it for me.

"No, Bella," he said quickly. "They just wanted to know if we wanted you to stay," he explained.

I looked up into his topaz eyes, trying to see what the answer to that would be. Edward simply smiled, and brushed the hair away from my face. "You're my best friend," he said. "You're Emmett's and Jasper's spy whenever they want to know what Rose and Alice are saying. You play dress-up with Alice no matter how much you hate it. You're Rose's and Esme's daughter, and you make Carlisle very happy, like a dad."

I stared at him speechless. Was that really how everybody felt about me? Truth be told, I wasn't a very good spy. Rose and Alice caught me listening at Alice's bedroom door. And I always complained when Alice suggested playing dress-up. I don't think I made anyone happy at all. They were the ones who made me very happy.

"Really?"

He nodded his head, then bent to kiss my hair lightly. "So of course we want you to stay, Bella."

I smiled, contented. If this was the way that it was, then I was glad. I would be staying, with my best friend and his family. I guess they were my family now, too. I frowned. That was confusing.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

I'd finished off my last bear of this hunting trip. The sun was about to rise, and we were about to go home. About damn time.

I missed the little squirt. I wondered what she and Edward had been up to. Alice had a vision that Carlisle had to go to the hospital yesterday, and he hadn't been able to get home until Bella's dinner time.

I laughed to myself. I hoped Edward hadn't bored her-it wouldn't do good for their future relationship.

As if reading my mind, Alice popped up next to me in the clearing and glared at me. "Don't even think of the vision I told you, Emmett!" she snapped.

I shrugged, looking at her guiltily. "Well how do you suggest I keep this from him? You do know that he's a mind reader," I reminded her.

Alice rolled her eyes. By this time, Esme, Jasper and Rosalie had approached us as well. I wrapped an arm around Rose and she grinned at me.

"Just think of other things, like sex, or Chinese burials, or war or TV shows," she suggested.

I scoffed. "And how long exactly are you planning on this? Edward would know we're keeping something from him."

"He'd be too preoccupied with Bella," Alice said confidently. Well, no use betting against Alice.

She sighed and moved closer to Jasper. "Listen, it'll be hard, but we can do it. Just remember to keep your thoughts away from the future. We don't want Edward to get all…Edward," she said, for a lack of a better word. "And run off in the opposite direction. It's probably not going to last very long but _try_."

She glared at me as she emphasized the last word.

I glanced around defensively to find that everyone else was also looking at me. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "Why are all of you looking at _me_?"

Esme laughed, and patted my arm in her motherly way. "Because, dear," she chuckled. "You're the most likely one to slip up."

I scowled the rest of the journey home.

******************************************************************************

_Thank you to everyone who gave your opinions. Know that I'm already working on the next chapter. It'll be up soon. Please review on this one._

_And also, I need more votes on Denali vs. London & 7-9 vs. 13-15. It's not enough votes to make a decision. Thank you so much again and sorry for being greedy about the reviews._

_Thank you!!!_


	8. Revelations and Pilipinis

_**A/N: **__Next chapter!!!_

_P.S. This chapter is dedicated to…Mr. Jasper-Hale and 'Jasper' for wanting more Bella and Jasper bonding time, and to kataang2 for being my No. 1 fan. That's just so cool that I actually _have_ a no. 1 fan…LOL. Thank you for reviewing, all of you._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Edward, Bella, Jasper_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Esme came back a few minutes before dawn. They'd hunted more enough to satisfy themselves for two weeks.

_Hey, Edward, how's Bella doing?_

I stopped playing my piano and turned to face them. They were already sitting on the couch. I heard Carlisle coming out of his study to join us, so I went to sit on the armchair. "Good," I replied Alice's unspoken question.

No one questioned this anymore-I'd been having silent conversations with them all for years. But for some strange reason, all five of them were acting strangely. I couldn't quite understand it. They were fidgeting in their seats, and looking anywhere but at me.

I couldn't sense anything wrong with their thoughts, though. Alice was thinking of the shopping spree she'd have to bring Bella on. Poor girl.

Emmett was thinking of Rose in…_Certain _ways. I winced, trying to block out his thoughts as much as I could. It was unnerving, even after all these years, to hear his thoughts go in that direction. This was my brother and sister we were talking about. I'd never get used to it.

Jasper was debating with himself on a new book he'd gotten about the Civil War. He'd thought most of the details were inaccurate. Well, if anyone were to know, Jasper would.

Rosalie was thinking whether she should get a new hairstyle. I rolled my eyes and moved on to Esme, who was just wondering if Bella had had enough to eat.

"It's fine, Esme," I reassured her. "I didn't forget to feed her."

Esme clicked her tongue, thinking. "But she's _human_, Edward. She's going to need a lot more food…Constantly."

I nodded my head. I'd done that. I gave her three solid meals, and whenever she was hungry for a snack, I fixed her a sandwich or gave her some juice. She was fine.

But something wasn't completely right. They still looked guilty or awkward…As if they had something to hide…I narrowed my eyes. What could they be hiding?

I felt a sense of calm and contentment and shot Jasper a dark look. He'd sensed my suspicion and confused me enough with a feeling of joy. Jasper smiled back at me innocently.

I scowled.

Just then, Carlisle came into the living room. He, too, sensed something strange about the others.

_Edward, do you know what's going on?_

I shook my head almost imperceptibly.

Carlisle took the hint and sat next to Esme. She smiled and kissed him tenderly. I smiled at that. Leave it to Carlisle and Esme to show us how loving two parents could be-towards each other and towards their children.

"Right, well, we have certain things to discuss," Carlisle said, looking at all of us. I had talked to Carlisle about telling Bella about us. It was something she certainly needed to know.

"Yes!" Alice said, without giving Carlisle a chance to say what was on his mind.

"Alice," Carlisle said reprovingly.

Alice settled back in her seat and took Jasper's hand, but she was still grinning. I knew she already saw Carlisle bringing up the subject and she was excited for Bella to know. "Sorry," she said to Carlisle.

He continued, "Bella would be joining our family soon. Being what we are…It's important for her to know. Edward has proposed that we tell her before the representative shows up later on this morning. I'd like to know your opinions on this matter."

The room was silent for a moment. This was a very vital decision. No one had ever just revealed our secret to a human being. It wasn't just revealing our secret, but revealing our world. Bella would know there are others like us.

"I think we should," Esme was the first to break the silence. "She has the right to know who we really are," she explained herself.

_But it would scare her! And what if the adoption agency and Child Services refuse us the right to adopt Bella? What then? A human girl who happens to know about us out there? _Rosalie was thinking.

I hissed at her. "What? Don't you trust Bella with our secret?" I snapped at her.

I expected Emmett to jump to Rosalie's defend, and was mildly surprised when he didn't. Of course, Rose didn't need to be defended. She could easily be the most vicious one among us when she was angry. What surprised me more was when Rosalie merely looked amused at my reaction.

_Alice was right._

"Alice was right about what?" I asked, my eyes narrowing once more.

Rosalie backtracked, and Alice shot her a worried glance before relaxing. She was blocking my thoughts, which meant that she didn't want me seeing something. Probably a vision that had caused her to stop worrying in less than a second.

"I just meant that Bella would be in danger if she knew," Rosalie pointed out. "The Volturi-"

"Will mind their own business," I interrupted. "Bella's ours. It's got nothing to do with them."

"I think we should tell her," Jasper agreed. But then, I knew he was going to side with Alice.

"Yeah, me too," Emmett said, grinning.

Rosalie hesitated for a second. "Okay," she nodded. "We should. I'm only saying this because Alice said Bella was most definitely staying, and I didn't want to have to lie to her all the time," she said defensively before any of us could pull out an uncharacteristic 'I-told-you-so'.

The sun had already risen, and the place was lighter now. Carlisle nodded his head. "Then we'll tell her after breakfast. It'll give her some time to think before the agent gets here…" He sighed. _I wish she could have more time to digest this. I don't want to scare her off._

I concurred whole heartedly. But there was no time left.

In Alice's head, I suddenly caught a vision of how today would plan out.

"_Is that why your hands are so cold?" Bella asked, tracing invisible patterns on my palm while she sat on my lap. I nodded my head, waiting anxiously for her to speak. "Will you hurt me?" I shook my head. "Never, Bella. I only want you safe."_

_Then suddenly, Bella was older. Much older. She looked to be sixteen now, nearly my age, by way of appearances. She was wearing a midnight blue dress, with a black ribbon around the waist. Her long, mahogany hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her brown eyes were the most captivating ones I'd ever seen…They pulled me in deeper. I felt like being lost in her soul. She was glancing in front of her shyly, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Hi," she said, her eyes sparkling, the most wonderful blush painting her cheeks. The sound of her voice alone was enough to send my dead heart soaring. If I were alive, I'd have been wishing for death just to hear her speak again. She looked like an angel. But who was she talking to? Who was she smiling at? I couldn't see…_

_I think Jasper would look great in a fireman's uniform. Yes, I could just see it now…I wonder if I could persuade him to carry a hose…_

I stared at Alice, stunned. What on earth…?

But she kept thinking of Jasper in several different outfits, and I blocked her out. I didn't want to hear that at all. But her visions…I couldn't understand it. I couldn't even understand the emotions surging through me at that vision.

Protective. Yes, that was it. I felt protective of Bella. If she were to grow up to become that magnificent, beautiful creature…I shook my head. She would put Rosalie to shame, and that was saying something. I winced, imagining the boys that would be after her. I would have to talk to Carlisle and Esme about that when she's older. I don't think dating would be a very good idea at all.

Suddenly, I heard Bella moving about in her bed upstairs. I heard her mumble something, and the rustle of sheets. She was about to wake up.

"Lemme wake her up!" Emmett jumped off the couch.

"No!" six vampires half yelled at him. He looked at us in shock.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him. "You'd find some incredulous way to wake her up and she'd get scared out of her mind. Not a good start for today, Emmett," she chided him.

Emmett pouted. "Please, Rose? I promise I won't do anything bad…I just missed the little squirt!"

She sighed. Emmett could be a real teddy bear when he wanted to be. How could she say no to that?

So she gave in.

And not two second later, she was already yelling at him for scaring Bella off.

******************************************************************************

I watched Bella leave with Jasper, hand in hand. She enjoyed reading to Jasper, ever since her first day here. She'd wandered into the library, found Jasper reading his new Civil War book, and had forced him to listen to her attempts at reading The Little Prince.

I couldn't believe it. She had looked me straight in the eyes, saw the truth in me, and hadn't been completely repulsed by what I was. No, she had touched my hand, my cheek, had cried when she thought she'd upset me…I really had to stop making her cry. It was getting ridiculous. Did all children cry this much?

Then I turned my attention back to my family. Jasper was trying hard not to laugh at Bella when she'd mispronounced the words in the Cat in the Hat.

But the rest of them…Were thinking of something other than Bella. Anything but her. Carlisle didn't know anything, I could tell. He was concerned about the agent coming today, wondering how it would all turn out.

The others were thinking of different things. Alice started singing the Star Spangled Banner in Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew. Rosalie started to picture Emmett doing an Egyptian dance-oh God, Emmett, what were you thinking!? Esme was thinking of how she'd get to cook human food now, and begun listing all the recipes she'd known-including listing the ingredients and methods. Emmett was thinking of how he'd beat me and Jasper in a wrestling match later on tonight.

None of them were thinking of Bella. Which was odd considering these past few days, she had been the only thing on their minds. And after such a big revelation and such a big challenge to come, they should be thinking of nothing but Bella!

They were hiding something.

I threw up my hands in the air.

"What are you hiding from me?" I accused, looking at the four I knew weren't innocent. Carlisle looked shocked. "Just tell me already. You know I'll find out!"

Alice smiled sweetly at me. "Nothing, dear brother. Why would you think something's up?"

"Maybe because you're singing the Star Spangled Banner in every language possible?" I shot back at her sarcastically. I gazed at them all until I found Emmett. He was practically waiting for the chance to tell me, bouncing very Alice-like in his seat.

"Emmett?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to intimidate him into telling me.

He didn't need intimidation. Excitement was enough.

"Well, see-"

Rosalie cut him off by jumping into his lap and kissing him long and hard. His words as well as his thoughts were cut short.

I rolled my eyes and jumped off my seat. I did _not _need to see this!

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I woke up to Emmett's huge grin an inch above mine. I shrieked, momentarily frightened, before I remembered. Of course, Emmett found this incredibly funny, and pulled back to allow me to sit up in bed. He was chortling, his booming laughter bouncing off the walls.

"Emmett!" I heard Rosalie shout. "I told you not to scare her!"

Then a huge smile spread on my face. They were back! They were all back! As much as I loved spending time with Edward, and later with Carlisle, I wanted to spend the time with the rest of them, too. I missed them.

"Emmy!" I squealed, throwing up my arms so he knew I wanted him to pick me up. He chuckled, and lifted me into his arms.

"Aw, hey sweet angel," he greeted me, planting a wet and sloppy kiss on my cheek. I giggled and wipes off his slobber. "Did Edward bore you?"

"Me?" Edward asked, leaning against the door frame, a hand over his heart, looking hurt.

I shook my head furiously. "No!" I protested. "We went…" I didn't exactly know where we went, but it was really pretty there. "Out," I finished lamely.

Edward and Emmett both chuckled at this.

"Come on, go brush your teeth-Esme's making chocolate chip pancakes," Edward told me. I brightened up and squirmed in Emmett's arms, wanting to get down. He obliged and I ran-stumbling a few times-to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth as quickly as possible and splashed my face with water.

I glanced at the tub behind me in the mirror longingly. I wasn't allowed to go into the tub alone. Rose or Alice or Esme had to be there. But I really wanted to take a bath…Rosalie had gotten me strawberry bubble bath. I loved it.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and I jumped. "It's me, kid," Alice's musical voice floated through the door. "I've got your clothes for today with me. Do you want to take a bath now or after breakfast?"

I started jumping. "Now! Now!" I ran to the door and unlocked it, letting Alice in. She laughed, a sound that reminded me of chiming bells, and closed the door behind her.

"Alright, get ready, angel," she smiled down at me. "I'll run the bath."

I nodded my head and waited patiently for Alice to turn on the tap and fill the bath with water and bath salt. The smell of strawberries was already filling up the room. "Okay, angel, in you go," she tilted her head in the direction of the bath. I wriggled out of my nightgown and held my arms out to Alice. She gently placed me in the bathtub.

Rosalie said I shouldn't go in alone in case I slipped and fell and hurt myself, or if an accident happened. It would probably happen if I did it on my own. I was very clumsy. But Alice would keep me safe, I know it.

I splashed around in the water, and Alice played with me, dropping my bath toys in the water-a ship, a duck, a frog…She'd gotten all these for me my first day here. When I woke up in the morning, Alice and Rosalie had taken me into the bathroom for a bath and everything was already there.

When I'd even finished cleaning behind the ears, Alice wrapped me in a towel and carried me out of the tub. We dried off, and I slipped into a pair of jeans with a flower on one leg, and a red t-shirt.

She carried me back to my room and sat me down in front of the vanity.

"Try not to get too much dirt on it later when you play with the boys, okay?" Alice smiled at me as she did my hair. I would have just wanted it to be untouched. Why bother? Like Alice said, I was going to play with the boys. Esme would want it to be outside because the last time we played, Emmett threw a football and it ended up breaking a vase. Esme was _mad _at him…

Alice pinned up my hair on both sides and let the rest cascade down my back. She scrutinized me for a moment, finger on her chin, arms crossed. She looked like she was trying to make a big decision. I tried not to roll my eyes. Obviously, Alice treated looks as a very important thing. I hoped she wouldn't be like this forever.

"Okay, you're all set!" she said finally, and I hopped off the chair.

"Come on, Alice, Esme's making chocolate chip pancakes," I tugged at her hand, trying to get her to go faster.

"Curse Edward for telling her that," she mumbled under her breath.

I stopped moving altogether and stared at her. "It's not nice to curse," I informed her.

Alice looked stunned for a moment, then she laughed. Shaking her head, she kissed my forehead. "Of course it isn't. I'm sorry, Bella, angel. Will you forgive me?"

I shrugged. "Okay. But you should _really _say sorry to Edward."

We made it down the stairs just as Esme was putting the pancakes on the dining table. I walked over to Edward and tugged at his sleeve. He looked down at me, and smiled. He pulled out the earpiece he was using and put his iPod away.

"Do you want to sit with me?" he asked.

I smiled widely and nodded my head, raising my arms over my head. He took the hint and lifted me off the ground. I settled on his lap and reached for the pancakes.

I wanted to ask for chocolate milk but Rosalie made me drink plain white milk instead. She said it would help my bones grow strong. I don't see how chocolate milk would be any different.

Then Carlisle cleared his throat. "Bella, someone's coming today," he begun. I stiffened, and Edward must have felt it because he rubbed his hands up and down my arms soothingly. I relaxed a little. Only a little.

"She just wants to talk to you, and to us. She wants to see if you're doing okay here or if you want to be with another family," he explained to me.

Despite myself, and his explanations and Edward's reassurances, I started to panic. What if this woman didn't think I should be with the Cullens? What if she took me away?

My bottom lip quivered in that annoying way it did every time I was upset. It was always the give away, and everyone would know I was beginning to cry. I hated it. "But I don't wanna be with 'nother fam'ly," my words weren't coming out complete now because I was starting to cry.

The others looked at each other in panic, and I realized that they might not want a girl who cried at every little thing. That, of course, just made me cried harder.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, and leaned forward so that I could feel his chest against my back. "Shh," he said. I felt his lips at my ear, blowing coolly. I couldn't help but giggle at the funny feeling it caused. "I told you, Bella. We won't let anyone take you away from us," he whispered.

"Promise?" I sniffed.

He smiled at me and kissed my hair. "Promise."

I leaned back into his cold arms and rested my head on his shoulder, smiling. "What will I have to say to her?" I asked, worried.

Carlisle shrugged. He was smiling widely for some reason, but I didn't mind. He looked very handsome when he smiled that big. "Don't worry, Bella," he said gently. "Just go through the morning like any other morning. Play with the boys-"

"-Just don't get too much dirt on her outfit," Alice interrupted. "It looks really good on her and I-"

"-_Do some reading_," Carlisle interrupted Alice, glaring at her a little. Alice fell back in her chair, shutting her mouth. I giggled at the sight. It was the first time I'd seen Alice stop ranting about clothes. "Watch a little bit of TV…Anything you want. If she asks you a question, answer as honestly as possible. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded my head and tilted my head to the side, scanning the room. I missed the Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Esme when they were gone yesterday. I knew it was only a day, and I was being irrational, but I still missed them.

Emmett caught my eye when I looked at him, and waved his fingers. I blushed, and waved back, burying my face in Edward's chest. I heard Emmett's booming laughter a second later.

"Bella?" Esme's soft voice drew me to her. I looked up to see her looking down at me tenderly. She looked so beautiful, and so motherly. She didn't look anything like my mother, but she reminded me of her. Her concern, her love, the looks she always gave me. Not to mention my mother always cooked for me, just like she did.

"We have to tell you something," Esme said. "Will that be okay? Can you keep a secret?"

I straightened up in Edward's grip. "I can! I can!" I yelped. I could keep a secret…I knew I could.

They all laughed a little at my enthusiasm, but they stopped after a while. I noticed that they all looked very serious. I bit my lip, worried. Was I in trouble?

"Bella, before you become a part of our family," Esme began. "I want you to know something about us. But it's a big secret, and no one can ever know, okay? Otherwise we'd all be in very big trouble. Can you promise that you will _never _tell anyone?" she asked, leaning forward in her seat to take both my hands in hers.

I begun chewing on my lip-a habit I picked up from my mother. I always did it whenever I'm upset or worried. I nodded my head. I didn't want any of them to be in any kind of trouble. If keeping their secret would help them, then I would. Besides, I _was _excited to know their secret and be a part of it.

"Do you know what vampires are?" Esme asked me, her beautiful eyes probing me for an answer.

I thought back. There was one time when daddy wanted to watch Dracula. It was when mommy was in Phoenix to visit her best friend…He'd said we should do everything mommy wouldn't allow us to do.

I was four years old at the time, so the movie made me scared. I couldn't sleep alone for weeks, thinking Dracula was going to show up out of nowhere and bite me. Mommy got real mad at daddy for a long time.

I nodded again. "Yes. Like Dracula," I said brightly. Esme cracked a smile at this. "I watched the movie with daddy. It scared me…Mommy told him to sleep on the couch for a week."

"With good reason," I heard Rosalie said.

"_Rose_!"

"Like you weren't thinking it!"

I didn't understand any of this. Thinking what? And why was Esme asking me about Dracula? Were they going to watch the movie again? If they were, I'd rather go play in my room. Maybe Edward could come with me…

"See, my family and I…" Esme hesitated and shot Alice a look. When Alice nodded, Esme turned back to me, took a deep breath and continued. "We're vampires, too."

I stared at her. This had to be a joke. Mommy told me every night that vampires weren't real. She told me that monsters weren't real, and that I was safe. So how could the Cullens be vampires when vampires don't exist?

But Dracula scared me. Why didn't I feel scared around the Cullens? I felt safe with them, happy even. And it was hard to believe that Edward would kill me. Or any of them, really.

"You are?" I asked bluntly. I didn't know what else to say.

Esme nodded and let go of my hands. She had a worried look on her face, as if she was afraid what I might do or say next. I myself didn't know how to react.

So I did the only thing that I could think of-I turned to the only person I knew who made sense to me. Edward. He was looking at me cautiously, too. I kept waiting for them to say "Just kidding!". But looking into Edward's eyes, seeing the honesty in their golden depth…I couldn't doubt it.

His arms weren't touching me now. They had fallen off my waist. I grabbed one of his hands and flipped it, tracing invisible lines on the pale skin. Was this why he always felt so cold to me? I looked up at him. "Is that why your hands are so cold?" I asked him in a whisper.

Edward looked pained, but he simply nodded his head.

Oh. So he was a vampire. They all were. But I'd been staying with them for days now. If they'd wanted to hurt me, wouldn't they have done it already? And they treated me like family. I had never had this much fun before, not even with mommy and daddy.

"Will you hurt me?" I asked him softly.

His golden eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Never, Bella. I only want you safe."

I looked at him in confusion. I'd seen the movie, and when I didn't understand it, daddy had explained. Vampires needed to drink people's blood, or they'll die. "But won't you need to drink my blood?" I asked him, tilting my head to one side as I studied his features. Was being a vampire the reason he looked as if he was carved out of stone?

Edward's eyes widened and he spluttered for a few good seconds before regaining himself. "No, Bella…We're not like that. See, bad vampires drink people's blood. They have red eyes and they're very mean," he told me. "But good vampires, like us, drink animal blood. We don't-we don't hurt people. We won't hurt you."

I chewed on my bottom lip. Huh. I never thought of that. There were good vampires and bad vampires. Well, mommy said there were good people and bad people, so why would vampires be any different?

Edward looked incredibly uncomfortable talking about this, though. I wanted nothing more than to reassure him, and see him smile again.

I smiled up at him, and touched his cheek with a hand. "Okay."

He raised an eyebrow at me, and frowned. I noticed Alice, Esme and Carlisle smiling, though. Jasper looked smug about something, and Emmett and Rosalie looked shocked. But Edward…He looked almost angry.

"Okay?" he choked out.

I nodded my head, frowning now, too.

"Bella, we just told you we're vampires!" he snapped. "Aren't you upset? Afraid? Angry?"

I wasn't. I wasn't feeling any of those things. I just felt happy. I had Edward with me, my best friend. I had Alice, and the entire Cullen family with me. They wanted me to be a part of their family. They trusted me enough with a secret so important, no one else could know.

So why was Edward so mad at me? Didn't he want me to know? Didn't he want me to stay? Did he want me to be so scared off that I would run away and never come back? Was that what he wanted?

I felt the tears starting again, and groaned inwardly. Why on earth did this have to happen to me.

Edward looked guilty, as if regretting his sudden outburst. His cold hands cupped my cheeks and his thumbs brushed away the tears as they fell. "I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered. He looked like he was in agony. Why? "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you. Will you forgive me?"

I refused to answer. "Why did you get mad at me?" I asked, sniffing, trying to stop my tears.

"I just…" He sighed. "I never expected you to be so calm. Any normal person would be scared of me," he smiled that crooked smile, and suddenly, I couldn't be upset with him anymore.

I gave him a watery smile. I was pretty sure my nose was red by now from all the crying. "You're not scary at all," I teased him.

Edward grinned at me, and started tickling me again. "Stop! STOP!" I laughed, squirming around. I was gasping from laughing so hard. My stomach actually hurt. Edward smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you for not being afraid, then," he whispered. I giggled. That was probably the strangest thing someone has ever said to me. That and 'we're vampires'.

Carlisle reached over to brush back a strand of hair that had fallen from the hair clip Alice had pinned. "So do you still want to stay with us?" he asked me, smiling.

I nodded my head, blushing.

I nodded my head and Carlisle grinned, patting my hand. "Good. Because we want you to stay with us, too." I couldn't help feeling exceptionally happy when he said this. "The lady from the agency be here in a few hours so, why don't you read to Jasper in the meantime?"

I wriggled down from Edward's lap and ran to Jasper. He smiled, and stood up, taking my hand to lead me to the library. I'd read to Jasper a few times, to improve on reading and pronouncing words. I _think _I was getting better…At least Jasper didn't laugh at me every five seconds anymore.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

"_Pilipinis_."

That's it. I couldn't take it. That was the third word she'd messed up and we'd only started five minutes ago. I burst out into laughter. I felt her confusion and her frustration turn into embarrassment and anger.

I clutched at my sides and tried to control my laughter. It didn't help that the entire family had heard her and were also laughing-their emotions were making mine worsen.

"I'm. Sorry. Bella," I gasped, trying my hardest to stop chuckling.

Bella closed her book and chucked it aside. I stopped laughing and looked at her as seriously as I could while still smiling. "Come, now, Bella," I chided. "Just because you got some things wrong doesn't mean you can't still learn it. It takes time to get things right," I said, standing up to pick the book and walking over to her.

I handed it to her but Bella stared at it defiantly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Bella, come on," I used my most persuasive voice. "Let's try again."

"No."

I was baffled. I didn't know how exactly to get her to try. She had evidently had enough of my laughter at her failure. Let's all thank God it wasn't Emmett she'd read to or she would have given up that first day itself.

"Bella," I said, lifting her up into my arms and putting her down on my lap. She still refused to look at me, and her arms were still crossed. "Come on…" I sighed when she didn't oblige. Maybe it was time to tell her a story. Something about my failures and how I persisted over time until I could do it.

Well, the most obvious one would be to tell her about my bloodlust, but Edward had been awkward enough telling her about our diet. I don't think he'd appreciate it if I were to start talking about my struggle for control, and how I'd spent years drinking human blood and killing people.

I veered my thoughts away from Edward and Bella, not wanting to scare off Edward and incur the wrath of Alice.

Maybe we should go back to my human memories…I'd never really told anyone about my human memories. Alice knew some things but that was because she was Alice. She was my confidant. When things bother me, I tell them to her.

I distinctly remember trying to ride a bicycle. It wasn't as modern as it was now, not as developed. But I wanted to try anyway. It looked really amazing to me as a kid, so I kept pestering for my dad to teach me. He gave in, but it took me weeks to learn.

So I smiled down at Bella's hunched form in my arms and begun the story. "You know, when I was a child, I wanted to ride a bicycle," I told her.

Bella turned slightly to give me an incredulous look, as if to say 'we're not talking about bicycles!' I chuckled slightly, then breathed in deeply. Bella's scent was burning my throat, but only slightly. She was still much too young for her scent to be strong, and truth be told, I'd been around it for days at such close quarters. Everywhere I turned, I could smell her.

I hoped that by the time she was older and her scent was stronger, I would be desensitized enough not to be bothered. I could already tell that her freesia scent was going to be powerful.

"Just listen," I tapped her nose lightly. She wrinkled it, adorable thing, and waited patiently for me to continue.

"I kept asking my dad to teach me, and I was so annoying, he finally gave in," I went back to the story. "But the thing is, no matter how hard I wanted it, I just couldn't get it right. I kept falling all the time."

Bella grinned at me, turning around completely to wrap a tiny arm around my neck. She didn't reach all the way. "I know what that's like," she said solemnly.

I laughed. "Well, I was upset!" I continued dramatically. "But I still wanted to learn. My dad… See, he knew how to ride a bicycle, so he laughed whenever I fell. He wanted to teach me, but he found it funny that I didn't know how."

Bella frowned at this and leaned her head against my shoulder, her eyes wide as she listened to my story.

"But I still kept trying. And guess what?" I leaned forward.

"What?" she asked, completely engrossed in the story.

"BAM!" I yelled.

Bella screamed a little, jumping back slightly, her cheeks flushed. I laughed, and she joined me after a minute, though her heart still beat irregularly after the scare.

"I finally knew. I kept getting better and better until I could finally ride it on my own," I finished proudly.

Bella stared at her hand on her lap for a long moment, then she looked up at me. "So…" She said slowly. I waited for her to make the connection. Bella was intelligent for a six year old. We had to give her some credit.

"You think that I should keep trying?" she asked me, almost shyly.

I smiled and nodded my head. "Yes, I think that."

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. I'll try again," she said bracingly.

I chuckled. "Maybe we ought to try an easier book, though, huh?"

******************************************************************************

I had made Bella promise to be on my team before Emmett or Edward could get to her. We were playing football with Bella again. Not seriously, of course. We were going to let her win, anyway.

Bella was standing in the front yard, a little football in her hands, waiting for us to join her. We still had an hour left before the agent came and Bella wanted to play.

Edward, of course, gave in without a fight. Poor guy. He had himself wrapped around tiny Bella's fingers. I wondered what it would be like once she was older…

_Don't go there_, I screamed at myself as I remembered that Edward was going to be out of the house in a few seconds. _Don'tgotheredon'tgotheredon'tgothere_…

Edward came out and looked at me funny as he heard my thoughts. At least I didn't give anything away. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Emmett came out to join Edward, Bella and I, and we crouched down to her eye level around her. It must look incredibly funny to a third party.

"Won't you be on my team, Bella?" Edward asked sweetly. Bella shook her head, and he looked shocked. "Why not?"

Bella giggled. "I promised Jasper," was her simple reply.

Edward scowled at me. "You cheated," he said glumly.

"Did not," I teased.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Could we just get on with the game?" he asked impatiently.

He called the game to begin, and Bella was running. We could have caught her without batting an eye, but we let her move in her human speed. What made it all the more interesting was that she was much more clumsy, much slower due to her short legs and she was tiny. She squealed at every thing and she honestly screamed when Emmett came at her.

She'd managed to get dirt on her jeans and on her shirt-even in her hair, for God's sake-two minutes into the game. I could practically _taste _the annoyance emanating from Alice as she sat on the porch, watching us with Rose, Esme and Carlisle.

But she was so _smart_. Instead of going around Emmett, she went under his legs. She kept close to me to throw me the football so I could run faster and win. She used every trick she knew, and I didn't even teach her.

Honestly? I was proud.

Even though we let her win, and it was a mindless game of football three of the players weren't even seriously playing, I was proud.

She looked so happy and so free that I wanted nothing more than to give her all that she deserved.

******************************************************************************

_To mangakidd987, Bella's going to stay a little kid for some time because a) I'm having too much fun thinking of all the fluff chapters. Come on, adorable Bella, clumsy Bella, troublemaking Bella…All in the form of a little girl. And b) her growth needs to be progressive. I really want to show her relationship with the Cullens and how they progress. Especially ExB. So sorry that I have to make you, and anyone else dying for Bella to grow older, wait. I just have way too many ideas of tiny Bella with grown up Edward that I can't pass it up._

_P.S. Thank you so much for everyone who's voted. I just have to say that at this point, most people want the Cullens to move to London, and for Edward to find out when she's 13-15. I think I forgot to mention that the Cullens will be going to both London and Denali. I just wanted to know which you preferred- child Bella at age 7 in Denali, wrecking havoc or almost teenage Bella at age 12 or 13 in Denali. Vice versa for London, since they'll meet other vamps there, too. If in London, I was going to have 7 year old Bella being blunt towards the vampires they meet which will create different reactions of course or a 13 year old Bella catching the eye of another young vampire, who tries to woo her (and gets on Edward's nerve, of course). Either way, this is all before Forks, and just what I plan on._

_There's still time to tell me what you think if you haven't put your two cents in, or if you want to change your mind, or if you really, really, REALLY want the story to go your way. Feel free to flood the reviews with what you think. I'll announce a chapter or two before the pivotal one where the Cullens make their move. Remember, they have to stay for a while to let the adoption papers settle, and get Bella her passport and what not. So a few months left in Forks, and a few chapters for you to still give me your opinion. Truth be told, the votes are winning by a few only. I appreciate every single one of them._

_Thank you so much and sorry for the long note here. Please review on this chapter. The next one will be on the agent observing Bella with the Cullens._


	9. Funny Hats and Interrogations

_**A/N:** Wow, that was a lot of reviews. LOL. Thank you so much and don't forget to do the same for this chapter. Enjoy._

_**Disclaimer: **SM owns it all._

_**POVs:** Alice, Bella, Edward_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

Oh, God. I knew the dirt and the mud was coming but this was too much! Look at that precious outfit…It's gone now! Ugh, boys. Must they corrupt angel Bella?

"Yes!" Edward shouted from the yard, and I realized that he wasn't shouting because he won but he was answering my unspoken question. I stuck my tongue out at him which I knew he could see all the way out there.

Then I had a vision-the agent would be here in thirty two minutes and forty three seconds. I had to get Bella all cleaned up. She had mud in her hair, for God's sakes!

"Stop!" I screeched.

They all froze in place and I marched over. "Come on, Alice, it's just dirt," Emmett said. Only Bella looked guilty for dirtying her clothes.

I bent to pick her up and cradled her against my chest. "It's not that," I glared at them, though I would love to give them a piece of my mind about this…Maybe I should get Bella jerseys for whenever the boys decide Bella should play with them. "The agent will be here in half an hour. I wanted to make sure Bella looks presentable."

I turned to leave then changed my mind. I stopped to face them again. "You guys should probably clean up, too," I looked at them up and down disapprovingly. All I got in return were three sheepish grins.

Rolling my eyes, I shifted Bella in my arms and marched back into the house. Having heard my explanation to the boys, Esme and Rosalie were straightening everything in sight, while Carlisle hovered over Esme awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

I climbed the stairs and went inside Bella's bathroom. I set her down on her feet and looked at her disapprovingly for a moment. As if knowing she was in trouble, her lips formed a pout and her eyes grew wide and pleading. I groaned. No wonder Edward gave in so easily. Who could resist this little angel?

I knelt down to eye level and said, "Now, Bella. You know what we said about someone important coming." She nodded her head, eyes lighting up now that she knew she wasn't in trouble. "We have to get you all cleaned up, okay? We want you to look nice and all."

I filled up the tub with water and those strawberry scented bath salts she was so fond of. When the bath was ready, I helped Bella out of her clothes-or the rags that resembled clothes a few hours before-and into the tub. She wanted to play with her bath toys again, but we had limited time, so I worked to clean every nook and cranny. I made sure all the dirt was out of her hair, behind her ears, on her nose…On her chin? My God. She was going to have to spend more time with us girls instead of the boys.

Finally, I wrapped a towel around her, draining the tub, and carried her out the bathroom door. I had twenty minutes left to pick Bella's outfit, dress her in it and do her hair. I sifted through her new clothes and found a pink dress. I slipped it over her head, making sure that all of her hair was bundled up in a towel so it wouldn't touch her dress.

Then I begun drying her hair, and putting sparkly clips in it-she seemed to like that.

"Alice, they'll be here in five minutes!" Edward called from downstairs.

"You don't need to tell _me _that!" I yelled back, annoyed.

I took Bella by the hand and led her out of the room-it was time to meet the agent.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

The five minutes spent waiting for the representative the adoption agency was pure agony. Even though my vision had predicted that Bella would be staying with us, there was still anxiety. Anything could happen that would change the outcome.

Poor Jasper was desperately trying to calm everyone down. Bella became impatient after two minutes of waiting around and crawled across the couch to tug on my sleeve. "Can I have choco milk?" she whispered, probably not even realizing we could all hear her. We hadn't actually told her to what extent our abilities go. She didn't even know we had any special abilities.

I shook my head. "Not now, Bella. We're waiting for someone, remember?" She pouted her trembling lips at me, and I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Really, Bella, what am I going to do with you?"

"Gimme choco milk!" she demanded, pounding her small fist on my arm.

I reached around to grab her around her tiny waist and lifted her into the air. Bella squealed and wriggled around. I placed her on my lap, and smiled. "Please be good, Bella," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her hair. "Just for a few minutes, okay? Once the lady gets here, I promise I'll get you the milk."

Bella sighed, but nodded her head anyway. She leaned her head on my chest, and grabbed my shirt in her fist, crumpling it. Alice begun to protest-she'd picked out everyone's outfits for today, and didn't want them rumpled. I gave her a death glare and shook my head.

Alice folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

It didn't work for her as well as it did for Bella.

_Figures he'd give in to Bella_, she thought. I was about to ask her what it meant since she'd started reading Othello word for word in her head. But something stopped me-a car.

We all-with the exception of Bella-heard the engine of the car pulling up in the driveway. All of us stood up. I handed Bella over to Rosalie, because Bella was squirming for her. Rose smiled, and cradled Bella gently against her.

The doorbell rang and Carlisle walked over to open it. He smiled widely, and I heard a woman stuttering. "Uh…I…hi."

I smirked, and Emmett snorted. Esme glared at us to keep quiet but Emmett was still chortling to himself so Rose reached over to smack him on the head. He quiet down immediately.

"Hello," Carlisle said warmly. "Please, come in."

He stepped aside to let in a woman in a hideous purple suit and an even more hideous hat. I could hear the distaste in Alice's head, and fought to keep a straight face. It really wouldn't help our case if I started laughing at her.

_Good God. It has feathers on it. FEATHERS. Is she blind or just challenged?_

I could hear the others attempting to distract themselves from laughing, as well. It was especially hard for Jasper, who felt everyone's glee.

Then, out of nowhere, came my angel's sweet voice. "You have a funny hat."

Emmett had to excuse himself to the backyard. Jasper was gasping as if he was in pain. Rosalie hid her face behind Bella's back though I could see her shoulders shaking, and Alice clapped a hand to her mouth. Esme and Carlisle were the only ones with a semblance of control.

"Children," Esme chided.

Emmett came back into the room, a big grin on his face.

Carlisle shook his head. "I'm sorry. My children can be a little…"

_Juvenile? _The lady guessed in her mind. _Though look at them-all beautiful…I wonder…_

I narrowed my eyes at her. One minute into our meeting and I was already wishing she'd leave.

"Anyway," Carlisle continued, oblivious to what the woman was really thinking. He stuck a hand out to shake hers. "I'm Carlisle Cullen," he smiled.

The woman smiled back in what I supposed was intended to be coy manner. "Darla Nunen."

Carlisle shook her hand briefly and let it go. He walked over to Esme and wrapped his arm around her waist, smiling at her fondly. "This is my wife, Esme," he introduced.

Darla's eyes widened. _He's taken? Oh, damn._

"My children, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper."

_That's a lot of children…I wondered if this would be a good idea, to have Isabella Swan continue living with them._

"And of course, we have our angel, Bella here," Carlisle continued, smiling fondly at Bella. Bella giggled at being mentioned, and waved shyly at Darla.

_Well, she is adorable…You can't blame the Cullens for wanting to keep her._ "Well, I'd have to spend the day here, observing Bella interact with the family," she said briskly. "I'd have to ask questions every now and then, too. If you don't mind," she added as an after-thought.

Carlisle shook his head, but it was Esme who answered. "Oh, of course not. You're more than welcomed," she smiled sweetly.

_No wonder he married her-she's practically an angel._

I hid my smile as Carlisle motioned for us to continue with our day. Bella squirmed again to get down and Rosalie allowed it. She ran over to me and tugged at my pant leg-the highest she could reach. "Edward," she pouted. "You promised."

I laughed, and took her hand, walking with her slowly towards the kitchen. I was aware of Darla following us-I suppose she had to keep an eye on Bella at all times. I got Bella to wait for me by the kitchen isle while I poured chocolate milk into her mug. She had gotten addicted to it, really.

Darla stepped right in front of Bella. Bella, being human, hadn't heard her, and was startled. To Darla's surprise, she screamed and ran to hide behind me.

"Uh…" Darla stuttered, alarmed.

I leveled her with a glare. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't scare Bella," I told her as politely as I could. "She had just gone through a very traumatic experience, as I'm sure you know."

Darla regained her composure and nodded her head, straightening up. "Of course. It was silly of me. I just haven't been properly introduced to Isabella."

"Bella," came the muffled response behind me.

I placed the mug on the kitchen isle and turned around to look at Bella. I squatted down to her level and looked her in the eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked.

Bella nodded her head, peeking at Darla under her lashes. "Is she mad at me?" she asked in a whisper.

I shook my head. Darla was surprised, but not mad. Of course, I could understand where Bella was coming from. Darla had a square jaw that always looked set, her eyes were cold, and she never smiled. She looked like a strict teacher more than anything.

"No, Bella, of course not. Who could get angry at you?" I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

It worked-Bella started laughing. I picked her up in my arms and handed her the mug of chocolate milk, which she sipped at happily.

Darla narrowed her eyes at Bella and I, probably wondering about our relationship. _I'd better start asking her simple questions. _"Do you like it here, Is-Bella?" she asked.

Bella nodded her head, smiling. "I played football," she announced proudly.

_That was completely random._ "Oh, really? Who did you play with?"

"The boys," Bella replied. "The girls didn't wanna play because of the dirt…Alice wasn't very happy when I got dirt on my clothes. But it's okay cuz she only got mad at the boys."

_Alright…On to the next question. _"And you like hanging out with…" She glanced at me, already forgetting my name.

"Edward," I supplied correctly.

Bella nodded again enthusiastically. "He's my best friend," she informed a shocked Darla.

She cleared her throat and begun again, "And who do you like best? Edward?"

Bella scrunched her nose in concentration, then she said, "Mommy said it's not nice to diffewentate people because we're all not the same."

Darla raised an eyebrow and I chuckled.

"She's incredibly mature for her age," I explained.

Darla cracked the smallest smile at this. "Evidently."

Suddenly, Alice bounced into the kitchen, a wide grin on her face. "Let's go watch a movie, Bella," she said.

Bella smiled at me. "Can we?" she asked, batting her lashes at me.

I nodded my head, "If you wish."

We headed back to the living room where, thank Heavens, everyone was sitting. Jasper sensed my relief and chuckled quietly. I shot him a glare.

I sat down on the couch and made to settle Bella next to me, but Darla went to sit on her other side. Bella was still shy when it came to Darla-I wasn't sure if it was specifically her or if she was shy around strangers in general. She seemed to get along fine with everyone when we first met her, though.

So I settled her on my lap.

"What would you like to watch, Bella?" Esme asked, smiling.

Bella thought for a moment then leaned in to whisper directly into my ear, cupping a hand around her mouth so that no one could see it. Of course, other than Darla, everyone else could hear. "Could we watch Peter Pan? You said we could, when we went out that other day…" she reminded me.

Yes, I had yet to fulfill that promise.

Alice couldn't just pop in Peter Pan in the DVD without supposedly hearing Bella's answer, so I cleared my throat and said, "She wants to watch Peter Pan."

While Alice was retrieving the DVD from our massive collection, Darla turned to me and asked, "Is she always this close to you?"

I heard the disapproval in her voice, and wondered. Why on earth would she disapprove of Bella's attachment to me? I was the first person she saw when she woke up. After such a traumatic experience, it was only natural for her to latch on to me.

Our relationship went beyond that, though. I really did enjoy spending time with Bella, and it seemed she enjoyed being around me, too. She really was my best friend. Was that so odd?

I tuned in to Darla's thoughts. _I've never seen anything like it. Normally, orphans aren't so outright about their new families. They're shy. But Bella seems to get along fine with them. That blonde girl was holding her just now and Bella seemed to like her. And now this Edward, and Alice…I'll have to make more observations. The way Bella acts around the Cullens-it's like she's known them her whole life instead of a few days._

I smirked to myself. Leave it to ice queen over there to turn this into something horrible. I nodded my head and answered her spoken question. "Yes. It's only been a few days, but our family feels like she's a part of it."

Darla nodded her head slowly, as if she was processing a very hard piece of information.

The movie started playing just when Darla started to ask another question. Bella shot her a disapproving look and said, "Shh. The movie's playing."

I stifled a snort and focused on the screen, trying hard not to read Darla's mind or sneak a peek at how she reacted to Bella's chiding.

Because it was one of her favorite stories, Bella got very excited throughout the movie. She actually screamed out the name 'Peter Pan' when he first showed up on the screen. And when Tinkerbell made an appearance, Bella turned to Alice and said, "That's you, Alice! You're Tink!"

We all burst out laughing at this, even Alice. Apparently, she had seen this coming and wasn't all too surprised by it. She found it adorable, nonetheless.

By the time the movie ended, Bella was worn out. She had woken up earlier today thanks to Emmett, and she had played football and even watched a movie. She was ready to take a nap.

I shifted her in my arms, while Alice turned off the TV so as not to wake Bella up. "I'm going to go put her in bed," I announce, just for Darla's sake.

Darla nodded her head.

Alice, Rose and Esme all came forward before I could stand up, and kissed Bella on the forehead. Bella shifted slightly but didn't wake up. In fact, she started snoring. I smiled, and stood up, heading for the stairs. When we reached her room, I gently laid her on the bed after peeling off the comforter. Once she was safely and comfortably tucked in, I kissed her lightly on the forehead and turned to go.

"Edward…"

I turned to face her, frowning. Had she woken up already? I'd really like it if she could nap for a few hours. It had been a tiring morning for her-Emmett deliberately came at her during our football game because she screamed bloody murder every time.

But she was still asleep. I smiled knowingly. Ah. She had started sleep talking again. And once more, her dreams were of me. I liked having a six year old human best friend.

"Kitty!"

Kitty? Oh, no. Her dreams of having a kitten…Maybe I really should talk to Esme and Rosalie about this. It would keep her company once we move out of Forks. I'd have to go to school during the day, together with Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle would have to go to work. The only one around to play with her was Esme, and even she wouldn't be able to drop everything to play with Bella all the time.

A kitten sounded like perfect company for her, if that was what she wanted. I'd have to talk with Esme for sure about this.

I went out of the door, keeping it ajar a fraction of an inch so it wasn't immersed in darkness, and made my way down the stairs.

"Is she sleeping?" Esme asked, knowing fully well that Bella was.

I nodded my hand, taking my place on the couch yet again.

Darla took a deep breath. _It's time to interrogate the adoptive family then._

I rolled my eyes. She made it sound as if we were bad people, and she wanted to break us down so she could find the truth. Well, I couldn't exactly blame her. Some adoptive parents could be not what they seemed to be. But the idea of us hurting Bella was simply ridiculous.

"I just wanted to make sure that you can handle this, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Darla began. "You already have five children-Bella is a child. She's going to need a lot of attention…"

Esme nodded her head and wrapped her hand around Carlisle's. "Yes, we're well aware of that. But see, my children are all grown up. Rose, Emmett and Jasper here are going to be juniors in high school. Edward and Alice are sophomores. Bella would have my undivided attention because I stay at home," she explained.

Darla nodded her head. "I can see that she has a very strong bond with your son, Edward," she nodded in my direction.

_HA! Wait 'til she's older, lady-uh, I mean, burning up, burning up for you baby…_

I shot Emmett a look, but I couldn't comment on his thoughts because of Darla. Wait until Bella was older? What did that mean? I would assume it meant that our friendship would steadily grow stronger throughout the years, but why would Emmett start singing that vile song out of nowhere? It just added to my suspicion that they were hiding something from me.

I sighed. After a century, they still had to hide things from me. Didn't they know that in the end, I'd just end up knowing it all? I _was _a mind reader, after all. Their attempts would be for nothing.

"How is she like with the rest of you? I haven't had a proper chance yet…I know she enjoys your company, but I would prefer to know how each of you perceive your relationship with Bella is," Darla said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

_This is where my degree in psychology comes in_, Darla was thinking.

"Well, I love her like a sister," Alice spoke up. "I'd love to take her shopping," she added as an after-thought.

I rolled my eyes. Somehow, I don't think Bella would be too excited about that.

Jasper shrugged. "We read together."

Darla's eyebrows drew together. "Read together?" she repeated slowly.

Jasper smirked at the memory of Bella reading. "Yeah. She's…Bella's just starting to learn how to read, so she's not very good. She came into the library, saw me reading and started to read to me. I've been helping her with that," he explained.

Darla nodded her head and shifted her gaze to Emmett. _My God, he's huge. _"And you?" she asked politely.

Emmett clapped his hands together and smiled. "She's adorable, the tyke. I tease her a lot, but she knows I'm joking. We played football this morning."

"Yes, she mentioned that," Darla murmured, almost to herself.

Rosalie smiled, though in her mind, she wasn't all that fond of Darla. "I love her. I think-I think my reactions to her are more maternal, like Esme. I really do think Bella would have a great time living with us. She's already a part of the family in our minds," she said through gritted teeth. She wanted more than anything to have Bella stay with us. I guessed, in her mind, she'd pitted Darla as an enemy, or a challenge.

Esme and Carlisle exchanged a look, smiling at each other, before turning back to face Darla. Their hands were still interlocked. "Well, we're the parents, so we feel very blessed to have Bella around. These past few days have been very interesting, to say the least. Bella's been…A miracle to us, I suppose."

Darla stared at her, uncomprehending. "I can't have children," Esme said sadly. "We adopted all of ours."

_I knew that. They sent me the file yesterday. Carlisle and Esme Cullen, adopted five children. Rosalie and Jasper Hale-twins. Edward and Alice, siblings. And Emmett. Well…their record has been amazing so far. Judging by their affections for Bella, and her reaction to them, I'd say this is the perfect family for her. I'll just stay for a few more hours, see her when she wakes up, talk to her a little, see her interact with the others…_

I smiled slightly at the others to show them that we were going to be alright. Alice was right, once again. Bella was staying.

I have never been so happy in my life.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I started awake when I heard a knock. I blinked and looked around my room. Where had the noise come from? Why was I in my room? The last I remembered, Peter was saying goodbye to Wendy…I really wished she would have stayed in Neverland. It's what I would have done. Stay with your best friend and never grow up. What could be better than that?

"Bella, can we come in?" I heard Esme's voice.

I smiled, sitting up in bed. I missed Esme. I hadn't played with her today. "'kay," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes sleepily.

Esme pushed open the door and the entire Cullen family poured in. I saw Darla at the door, watching us.

Rosalie climbed in next to me on the bed, and sat next to me. She wrapped an arm around my waist and I leaned into her, smiling. I reached up to tug on her blonde locks. It never ceased to amaze me how pretty Rose looked.

"Did you get enough sleep, angel?" Emmett asked.

I nodded my head, then thought. "Can I have chicken fingers?" I asked Esme sweetly. "I'm a little hungry."

Chicken fingers were one of the things Rosalie said I could eat-she was obsessed with wanting me to eat healthy. I really hoped she wouldn't force me to eat vegetables, though. I hated lettuce. And tomatoes. And broccoli…

"Alright, I'll make it for you in a little while," Esme replied gently. "But first, can you talk to Darla for a bit? She's been waiting for you to wake up."

I looked towards the door, where Darla was waiting. I gestured for her to come in. "Do you wanna see my room?" I asked her. I really loved my room. Esme and Alice had decorated it. It was blue the whole way. It was one of my favorite colors, and I knew Edward liked it.

Darla stepped in hesitantly and smiled at me. "Do you like it?" I asked. "Esme and Alice made it."

Darla nodded her head as she looked around. "It's a very nice room, Bella," she said, sounding almost surprised.

Well, it wasn't just 'nice', it was great. I climbed out of bed, and ran over to Darla. I grabbed her hand and tugged her to the bookshelves Esme had built for me. "Look! Esme made it, and Jasper got me the books!" I showed it to her. I grabbed the Cat in the Hat and shoved it in her hands. "I was trying to read that but Jasper laughed because I messeded it all up, so I stopped. But I read another book, so it's okay," I assured her before she got upset.

Darla smiled at me. "That's nice, too, Bella."

I frowned. Why was everything 'nice' to her? And why was she smiling when she didn't mean it? I didn't like it when people do that-they weren't being very honest. Esme told me you had to be honest. She told me.

"Bella," Carlisle called. I turned to look at him. "Darla wanted to talk to you, remember?" I nodded my head, blushing. "Come sit here," he pointed at the small armchair Alice had gotten for me. It was in the middle of the room, where all my toys were. I padded over to the rug and sat in the arm chair. I imagined Emmett sitting in this chair, meant for me, and crushing it under his weight. I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

Darla came to sit on the floor in front of me and smiled again. "So, Bella, I talked to your family. They love you very much," she said.

My eyes lit up, and I was pretty sure my cheeks were red. "My-my family?" I asked. Darla nodded. "I get to stay?" I shrieked, jumping up to hug Esme around the legs. They all laughed at this, and Esme bent to swing me up in her arms. She planted kisses all over my face which tickled because her lips were so cold.

I wrapped my arms around her neck in a chokehold nonetheless, and smiled at Edward behind Esme's shoulder.

"Bella?" Darla asked from behind me. I turned a little to look at her and flashed her a wide smile. "Are you happy that you get to stay?"

I nodded my head emphatically. "Yes. It's Neverland," I giggled. I knew Darla wouldn't understand because she didn't know.

But the others did, and they broke out into laughter.

I was happy that I get to stay with them. They were my family now. I get to play with Jasper, Emmett and Edward, I get to play with Rose and Alice. I get to read bedtime stories with Esme, and I get to follow Carlisle around the house.

And best of all, I get to be with my best friend, Edward.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Okay, bear in mind that I have no idea how an adoption is supposed to happen, let alone in this case-I highly doubt it's very common for a family to bring a child back from a hospital and all before the adoption. But it's a story, so go with me on this._

_And now that we have this whole adoption thing out of the way-phew!-it's time for our little six year old Bella to become a seven year old. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, the next chapter will be Bella's birthday. I can't wait to see the presents Bella will get. I think the Cullens will overdo it and it would become something very akin to Christmas, don't you think??_

_LOL. So thank you for reading, and the reviews were amazing. A little update on the polls:_

_32 of you voted for the Cullens to go to Denali straight away then London when Bella's 13, 36 of you voted they go to London first then Denali. 18 of you wanted Edward to find out when she's 7-9, and 27 wanted him to find out at 13-15. 2 suggested that he finds out about the first vision when she's 7-9 and the second vision when she's 13-15._

_Agree or disagree? Vote if you want. There's still time. Bella and the Cullens will be leaving for their next destination in chapter 10, right after her birthday, so one two chapters left._

_Review and tell me what you think._


	10. Happy Birthday Bella Part 1

_**A/N:** Bella's seven years old!!! Hope you enjoy…BTW, I wanted everyone's POVs on Bella's b'day because each one of them has something special planned for her. But if I were to write everyone's POV in one chapter alone, it would be insanely long. So I'm dividing it into two, chapter 9 and 10, and the one after that is when they move. I hope that's okay. If not then…I'm glad you don't know my address._

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all._

_**POVs:** Esme, Bella, Edward, Jasper_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Esme's POV_

It has been three weeks since Darla Nunen had stepped out of our house, and three weeks since the official papers had been signed. Isabella Swan was now Isabella Marie Hale.

We had gotten around to telling Carlisle about Alice's vision when Edward went hunting-a task he found incredibly hard to do now since Bella was in our lives. He hated leaving her alone for a second, even though she would be surrounded by the rest of us. But his eyes had turned a deadly black color, so he had no other choice.

We had all decided that Bella should take Rosalie's and Jasper's last names. If she became Bella Cullen, it would mean that she and Edward were more or less siblings. That would make the future too ridiculous.

Edward had wondered why we had named her 'Hale' instead of 'Cullen'. He wanted Bella as close to him as possible.

None of us had answered his question, which of course made him even more suspicious.

Keeping this secret from my son had been nothing but tedious. Emmett had almost blurted it out five times in these past weeks. If it hadn't been for Rose's spontaneous "urges" I don't think we would have managed. Jasper always sent Emmett's thoughts in a different direction each time he thought of spilling the beans. Be it a shot of lust, or a shot of self-pity, or a shot of anger…Emmett would find himself completely distracted.

But I know Edward won't stop until he finds out.

I sighed, then glanced at the cooking book to my left. Tomorrow was Bella's birthday. The house had never been so busy. After Bella had gone to sleep, Alice had taken out the decorations she'd hidden and started working on it. The living room looked as if Santa had crashed his sleigh in it.

Edward had told everyone that Bella hated shopping or having money spent on her too much, so he wanted us to buy her a present each.

But even he went overboard. I bought her three myself.

Oh, can you blame us? It's our Bella's first birthday with us Cullens and Hales. It was a very special occasion.

I was baking Bella's cake and making one of her favorite dishes-macaroni and cheese. Honestly, the gooey substance disgusts me to no end. How could anyone eat that? But she seemed incredibly fond of it so I was making it for tomorrow's party.

We were going to surprise Bella with a whole day of birthday fun. We were already going to move next week, and I knew Bella was upset about that. Not only did her parents lived here, she had grown attached to the house.

It was hard enough for us, when we've moved for so many times. Imagine how much harder it was for Bella.

Edward, Jasper and Emmett had gone around the house collecting the presents they had hidden all over for the past two weeks. I honestly don't want to know where they managed to hide thirty something presents.

I looked at the clock. I had two hours left before Bella wakes up. I really needed to hurry.

I hoped Bella would love her presents, the cake and the mac and cheese. I wanted this to be a very special day for her.

This was, after all, the first year she would be Bella Hale.

******************************************************************************

Emmett wanted to be the one to wake Bella up again, but Rosalie said she didn't want to scare the girl the first thing on her birthday. So I took one of the small brownies I made and placed one lit candle on it. We were all going to wake her up, as a family.

Alice opened the door as quietly as she could. She was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. Poor Jasper.

We crowded around the bed, and Edward reached to tickle Bella awake. It worked-less than ten seconds later she was laughing so hard her eyes popped open. Her eyes widened at the sight of all of us in her room.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" we cried out.

Her lips formed a goofy grin as she wriggled to a sitting position. "I get a brownie?" she asked, looking at the brownie in my hand hungrily. "_Before _breakfast?"

She shot a look at Rosalie. It was true that Rose had taken the role of the strict mother. She doted on Bella, but her overprotective nature often overrode everything else. Lately, she had been obsessed with Bella eating healthy.

I laughed. "Yes, Bella. It's your special day today. Make a wish and blow out the candle," I said, holding the brownie out in front of her.

Bella's eyes lit up and she thought for a second. When she decided what to wish on, she squeezed her eyes shut, and blew out the candle. When she opened them, I had already taken out the little candle stick. She took the brownie and chewed on it hungrily.

We laughed at that.

"Come on, Bella, up and at 'em!" Alice squealed, lifting Bella off the bed and rushing her to the bathroom. "We have to hurry!"

"Why?" I heard Bella's innocent reply.

I grinned. Well, won't Bella be pleasantly surprised today?

I stood up from my position on the edge of Bella's bed and looked at everyone. "I'm the mother," I said sternly. "So I get to give her my present first." I didn't know if they would listen. I was just really excited to give Bella my special present. The rest of the things I got for her could wait until we sat down for cake.

The others nodded glumly-they had wanted to give Bella their special present first, too. Well, that's too bad. I was their mother and as for Carlisle…He wouldn't deny me anything.

Edward smirked at that, and I smacked him on the shoulder.

I walked out of the room, hearing Bella's squeals as Alice played with her in the bathroom. I went to my bedroom, and sat at my vanity. I opened my jewelry box, and picked out a silver heart-shaped locket with diamonds surrounding it. My mother gave me this locket, right before I got married. It was one of my favorite memories of her, and this locket was one of my favorite mementos. I would love to give this to my new daughter.

I tucked it in safely in my dress pocket, and walked out the door. I needed to take out the cake from the oven, and start making the mac and cheese. It was relatively easy to make, so Bella won't have to wait long.

I ran into Edward in the kitchen, and he smiled at me. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. "It's an amazing present, mom," he said truthfully. "Bella would love it."

I smiled at him, and placed a hand on his cheek. _Thank you_.

Before long, Bella was ready. I had just placed the mac and cheese in the oven, so I went out into the living room to see her reaction to Alice's decorations. I knew it was too much, but Bella's reaction was what Alice cared about.

Bella was wearing a blue dress. It made her look like a princess, really. Alice even placed a tiara in her hair, which had been curled. She blinked at the sight in front of her, and we all waited for her reaction. Slowly, she opened her mouth and said, "That is really, really, really pink…"

Alice, being Alice, took this as a compliment.

I went forward and took Bella by the hand. "Bella, can you come with me for a moment into the garden? I'd like to show you something," I asked her.

Bella nodded at me, smiling in that sweet way of hers. In a way, she really was my first child.

Not forgetting my baby, of course.

Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had been amazing children. My life felt so complete with each addition Carlisle made into our family. But Bella was…Human. She was warm, and soft, and lovely. She was a little child, who needed me, depended on me. I loved her.

When we reached the garden, I sat Bella down on the swing set Emmett had set up for her a few weeks back. "I want to give you something very special," I told her, kneeling down to her eye level. "I want you to promise that you'll always keep it safe with you, okay?

Bella nodded again. "Okay," she said softly. "I promise."

I smiled, and reached into my pocket to take out the silver locket. "My own mother gave this to me when I was a…Well, let's just say a long time ago," I chuckled. "She gave it to me right before I got married. Now, I want you to have it."

Bella's eyes widened when she saw the locket. "It's pretty," she murmured, reaching out with a tentative finger to touch it.

I nodded my head, leaning forward to fasten the locket around her neck. When that was done, I adjusted so that her hair wasn't trapped beneath the chain. "It looks really good on you, Bella," I smiled.

Bella launched herself at me, and hugged me tightly. I closed my eyes, burying my nose in her hair and inhaling her sweet freesia scent. "Thank you," she said. "I love you very much, mommy."

My eyes snapped open and I pulled back to stare at her. "What?" I whispered.

Bella looked down at her feet shyly. I realized that my reaction might have scared her into thinking that I was angry at her for calling me 'mommy'. Silly Bella. She had made me the happiest woman on earth.

I hugged her again. "I love you, too, angel," I whispered. I felt like I could sob happy tears at this moment.

I was a mother. Bella was my child. What could be better?

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

"I love you very much, mommy."

My head snapped up and my eyes found the back door leading to the garden. Through the huge glass windows, I could see Bella and Esme hugging.

_Mommy. She'd called Esme mommy. What am I, then? First this, then Edward…She's supposed to be mine._

I turned to look at Rosalie. Jasper had been made aware of the emotions running through her as well, and he was trying to calm her down.

"What do you mean, Rosalie?" I asked quietly.

She started, as if she had forgotten I was even in the room. Her mind was immediately filled with shopping catalogues and things from Victoria's Secret that I never wanted to acknowledge even existed.

"Nothing, Edward," she said bitterly. I raised an eyebrow and she sighed. "_Nothing_, okay? I was just saying, you're her best friend. That's all." _Will you please just drop it?_

I nodded my head and turned away. Rosalie was upset because Bella had called Esme 'mommy'. But surely she knew that Bella loved Esme and Rosalie the same way? That she treated the both of them as mothers?

"She loves you like a mother, too, Rose," I said without looking at her.

For a moment, she was silent-verbally and mentally. Then-_thanks_.

I smiled to myself. My smile only widened when Bella entered the room. "I call dibs!" I yelled before anyone could say it was their turn.

They glared at me but I shrugged, and stepped forward. Bella looked up at me expectantly and smiled. So she knew I wanted something. "Would you come with me to the meadow?" I asked.

Bella smiled wider and nodded, raising her arms above her head to indicate that she wanted me to carry her. I did so willingly, and tucked her head under my chin, asking her to close her eyes. Within moments, I was running out the door to get to the meadow.

We reached in minutes due to my speed. I placed her on her feet and she smiled contentedly as she glanced around the familiar place. We'd been here twice, sometimes three, times a week since that first day we'd been here. Bella had loved it here and asked me to take her here often. It was one of the things that made her sad about moving-we couldn't come here anymore.

I knelt on both knees so that I wouldn't have to bend down and took out a silver bracelet with a diamond heart on it. "The diamond heart was my mother's," I told her. "It would mean a lot to me if you would accept this." I slipped the bracelet on her small wrist. It was a charm bracelet, really, and I was hoping to get her a new charm for every birthday, or special occasion. I think it was fitting.

Bella raised her left arm to stare at the charm. She smiled widely at me. "I love it a lot," she said, nodding her head in approval. "Thank you, Edward."

I gently drew her small, fragile body to me and hugged her as tightly as I could without physically harming her. She was an amazing person-and she was only seven years old. I couldn't even begin to imagine how amazing she would be as a grown woman.

I frowned as I remembered Alice's vision. Bella looked beautiful as a woman, but she was also obviously being coy in front of a boy. I couldn't see the other person, but I wouldn't allow her to date. I would talk Carlisle and Esme out of giving her permission to go. That age-what was it, fifteen, sixteen?-was too young for her to start being alone with boys. I knew human boys, I've read their thoughts for years. They were vile and uncouth. No way was my Bella going to be around them.

I felt Bella playing with the collar of my shirt and smiled. I still had years left before I had to worry about that.

"Ready to go home, Bella?" I asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"No," she sighed. It was the same answer she'd given me every time I asked when we came here.

But today was different-it was her birthday. Others were waiting for her, too. "Come on. The others still have presents for you left, you know?"

At this, she perked up and jumped into my arms. "Let's go home!" she screamed.

I laughed, making sure she closed her eyes before taking off. She might know our secret, but there was no need to scare her with my speed.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I paced the living room, waiting anxiously for Edward and Bella to return. Alice had informed me that they would come back in two minutes, but it felt longer to me. I really wanted to give Bella my present, but I didn't know if she would like it. Esme and Edward had given her jewelry-something Alice said was a girl's best friend, no matter how young said girl was.

What I was giving her was a book. It had the same sentimental value as Esme's locket and Edward's charm bracelet, but it was still a book. Alice had said that she'd seen Bella's reaction, and I had nothing to worry about. I was still a nervous wreck. What good was it to be an empath and not be able to calm yourself down?

True to Alice's words, Edward walked into the room with Bella wrapped around his neck. Even with closed eyes, I could see her smiling widely.

"Hey, Bella?" I asked. Bella opened her eyes and scanned the room until her eyes met mine. She smiled bigger and hopped down from Edward's arms.

"Do you mind coming to the library with me for a little bit?" Bella shook her head and took my hand in hers. Her small hand was so warm, yet it wasn't even half the size of mine. I could just imagine how small it must feel to Emmett.

When we were in the library, I sat her down in her usual chair she sat in whenever she read to me. "I wanted to give you a special present. My dad made me a book when I was little," I told her.

Her chocolate eyes widened. "He _made _you a book!?" she asked, amazed.

I laughed and nodded my head. "He sewed on the leather and everything. Anyway, my dad knew that I loved a good story, so he made one up. See?"

I took the leather bound book on the table. It was already yellowed, but it was a good memory nonetheless.

"The story is about a little boy who wanted to see the world, but his parents said that he was too young. So he ran away to find adventure," I explained, flipping through the pages so Bella could see the words and drawings.

She gasped at this. "He _ran away_?" she whispered.

I nodded my head. "But it's okay, because the story gets a happy ending. The boy saw what he wanted to see, and realized that he belonged at home."

Bella nodded her head, satisfied, and settled back in her seat.

I closed the book and placed it on her lap. Taking her hand in mine again, I looked her straight in the eyes. "My dad gave this to me to remind me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I just had to believe I could…I want you to do the same."

For a moment, Bella didn't say anything. She kept quiet, and her gaze fell on the book on her lap. She bit her lip as she did so. I thought I had blown it, that she hated my gift. Well, who would give a book to a seven year old? Ah, I'd been stupid to think it was a good gift.

Bella fingered the brown leather cover of the book and smiled up at me. "I really love it, Jazz," she whispered. "I think it's a great story. Thank you."

I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Good," I said, relieved. I guess I didn't have anything to worry about after all.

"Let's go back downstairs. I think Esme's mac and cheese is all done," I told her. She immediately jumped off the armchair, book clutched to her chest and ran to the door. She started to stumble and fall, but I was there in the blink of an eye to catch her.

"Silly Bella," I chuckled, and carried her down.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Alice had decorated the entire living room in pink. I couldn't even see the couch anymore. But Edward helped me, so I was okay.

Esme made me mac and cheese, which only I ate. When I asked, Edward told me that vampires don't need to eat normal food because they hunt. I asked him if he meant because they drink blood, and he told me to just eat my food.

Edward, Esme and Jasper had all given me their gifts, so I was expecting one from Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Carlisle.

So when I saw the pile of presents in the living room right next to the couch, I was very surprised. I wanted to rip out the wrappings and see what they all were right then and there, but Rosalie made me eat first. She said that I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet and I would faint if I got too hungry.

I knew I didn't like being the center of attention, but this was okay. I liked being surrounded by the Cullens. And even though it was embarrassing to have the spotlight on me, I didn't mind it today. I just felt so happy.

I was surprised when Esme, Edward and Jasper gave me such special presents. Their own mommies and daddies had given them these presents. I didn't really want to accept them because I didn't want them to be sad if I took them.

But Alice had told me upstairs to just accept whatever someone gave me today. It was their way of saying they loved me, so it wasn't polite to say no. As it turned out, I loved their presents for me.

Once I was done with the mac and cheese, Alice insisted that we opened one present-but she got to choose. She grabbed a square shaped gift wrapped in pink wrapping. I tore it off greedily to find a box. I opened it and took out a camera.

Alice wanted me to open the gift so that we could take pictures-starting from today, my birthday. Carlisle brought out a big cake for me. Esme had made it herself. On the chocolate cake, Esme had 'Happy Birthday Bella' written in icing, and had stuck seven little candles on it. Alice snapped shot after shot of everyone singing the Happy Birthday song, of me blushing, of me blowing out the candle, and of me cutting the cake with Rosalie's help.

Finally, I could eat the cake. Even then, Alice kept snapping pictures. Edward finally had to take it away from her so she could calm down.

"Bella, I have a surprise for you," Edward said, grinning cunningly. I raised an eyebrow at him, and bit my bottom lip.

The last time he had smiled like that, he had smeared mud all over my new outfit-which had angered Alice to no end of course-and we had gotten into a mud fight. Emmett and Jasper had helped. Esme had gotten so angry, she'd grounded them all for a week. But she didn't blame me because she said that Edward had provoked me and made me have a mud fight. Thank God I didn't get punished.

"Wait here," he told me before I could ask anything. I looked around me, but no one would tell me anything. They just smiled like they had a secret. Esme took my plate and placed it on the coffee table.

I heard a soft 'meow' and my head snapped up. Edward was approaching me with the cutest little orange kitty in the world. I gasped and started to climb off the couch, but Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder. "Wait, Bella," he laughed.

I bounced in my seat. Was that the fastest Edward could walk? He was a vampire! Finally, he reached me and sat down next to me. He placed the little kitty on my lap and I smiled down at it. "This is Lilly," he told me. "She's two months old."

"She's tiny," I commented.

"Why don't you touch her?" Edward suggested.

I hesitated, and looked up at him. I was afraid I'd hurt Lilly. She was two months old-she was a baby! Edward took my hand gently and ran my fingers through Lilly's fur. Lilly didn't seem hurt by this. She padded softly on my lap and nuzzled her nose into my tummy. It tickled.

I laughed, and stroked Lilly's fur even more.

"Well, I guess it's safe to say what's her favorite present," Emmett joked.

I looked up to see all of them staring at me and Lilly. I blushed and turned to Edward. "How did you know I wanted a kitty?" I asked him, pouting.

"You talk in your sleep," he chuckled.

I think I blushed even more. "No!" I gasped.

Edward leaned forward to kiss my forehead. His lips felt especially cold to my overheated skin. "Don't worry, Bella, nothing embarrassing," he assured me.

I begun to relax and looked down at the baby cat in my lap again. She was so precious.

"Yet!" Emmett called out.

I groaned. I needed a lock for my door.

______________________________________________________________________________

_To goldeneyedfanpire, a few chapters per year seems about right. 1 chapter per year is too little for me to cram everything in. Besides, I want this story to be long. Not drag-y, though, so don't worry._

_To Fantasy Dreamer1992, I update about two chapters a day. As much as I can._

_To Tearsinhell, I was going to skip like that, you know, first we have them move to wherever it is they move, and Bella's seven for two or three chapters, then she's ten for a few more, like that… Don't worry, I'll make it as good as I can and I won't miss out on all the good stuff._

_To whitedehlias, I had no idea because I hadn't seen it since I was a child. I just remembered he was BIG. LOL. Thanks for correcting me._

_Well, I hope this chapter was good enough. I'll post the birthday part 2 in a few hours, then it's the episode where they move. Please review and tell me what you think. As of now, I still haven't made up my mind where the Cullens should go or at what age Edward should find out. There's still time, but only a day._

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed and even voted. It means a lot._


	11. Happy Birthday Bella Part 2

_**A/N:** I'm glad you thought the presents were a good fit. I was struggling to think what Emmett would give Bella, though. He and Carlisle are the hardest ones. I hoped they're good. Thank you for all the reviews. This chapter is insanely long so forgive me. I can't keep it short._

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **Alice, Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Bella_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

Edward, Esme and Jasper had given Bella something from their human life. I couldn't remember that part of my life. All I could see whenever I think back was darkness.

So I'm going to give her something that was the first most important material thing I've possessed since becoming a vampire.

Once she had calmed down enough after Edward brought out Lilly the kitten, I'd taken her up to our room. When Jasper and I were going to get married for the first time, he'd given me a heart-shaped jewelry box. It was velvet on the outside, satin on the inside, and was lined with intricate silver detail, glass beads and Victorian style flower patterns. I'd fallen in love with it, but I wanted Bella to have it.

When I took it out of my closet, Bella audibly gasped. I smiled at her as I sat next to her on the bed. "Do you like it?" I asked her, though I already knew the answer.

Bella nodded her head enthusiastically, and reached out with a hand to touch the jewelry box. "Jazz gave it to me," I told her proudly. "When we got married the first time."

Bella's eyes widened. "You're _married_?" she asked in a whisper.

I laughed, shaking my head. I keep forgetting that in Bella's eyes, I was still a teenager. "Yes, angel, I'm married," I kissed her hair lightly. "See, Jazz wanted to give me something special. Now I want you to have it."

I placed it in her lap, and she carefully held it in her hands. "Why?" she asked innocently.

I brushed back a stray strand of her hair and said, "_Because_, angel. You're special to me." Bella's eyes filled up with tears and I reached forward to envelope her in a hug. "So you have to promise to keep it safe, okay?"

Bella nodded her head and sniffed. "What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked, with all the naivety of a seven year old.

I shrugged. "Treasure," I replied with a grin. "You could put your jewelry inside, like that locket, or Edward's bracelet," I elaborated, pointing to the necklace and touching the charm bracelet lightly.

Bella nodded her head in understanding. I stood up and offered her my hand. "Come on, let's go put it in your room before we go back downstairs. I think Emmett's going to barge in here if we don't. He's too excited about his special present for you."

Bella giggled, probably imagining her personal teddy bear bursting into the room just to give her his gift. I, of course, knew what Emmett was giving Bella. But he'd kept it a secret from Edward, singing ludicrous songs that nearly drove Edward insane every time he was around him.

I don't think Edward would appreciate Emmett giving her that particular gift, but I already saw that Bella would love it.

As we were walking down the hallway to go to Bella's room at her slow, human pace, she asked me, "Alice? Why do you always know something before it happens?"

I nearly choked on air.

We hadn't actually gotten around to telling Bella about our special powers yet. Edward seemed to think that Bella really was in shock over our secret-she just wasn't showing it. No matter how many times I'd shown him the future of Bella being just fine with it, or Jasper telling him over and over that Bella felt comfortable around us, he refused to believe it.

Honestly, the man was stubborn as a mule.

I could hear everyone freeze downstairs as they heard Bella's question.

"Don't tell her!" Edward said. He was speaking in a normal tone so Bella couldn't hear him, but I think he was close to shouting.

"Tell her, she'll think it's cool!" Emmett was saying.

I rolled my eyes. Men.

"Um, well…" I glanced down to see Bella's expectant face looking up at me, her big brown eyes searching my face.

I couldn't lie to her. What was I thinking. _Sorry, Edward. It's time to tell her._

"I can see the future," I blurted out. Bella blinked, her face a mask of confusion. "I have a special power. Sometimes, I can see how the future would be like," I explained.

We reached her room and Bella quickly placed the jewelry box on the vanity. She turned to me and frowned. I was just about to see what her reaction would be like, just so Edward could stop fussing already, when she spoke.

"That's not fair," she whined. "I wanna see the future, too!"

Well, it was a good thing I got her a Magic 8-Ball.

I could hear Emmett's booming laughter, and so could Bella this time. She blushed a deep red and I chuckled, crouching down so that we were eye to eye. I took both her hands in mine and swung our entwined fingers together slightly. "How about I just share with you what I see? Is that okay?"

She was still pouting, so I kissed her knuckles gently. "Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered conspiratorially.

After a moment's hesitation, Bella nodded. I leaned forward and whispered, "Edward wishes he could see the future, too!"

Bella giggled at this and brightened up.

I stood up, still chuckling, and led Bella out by the hand downstairs. When we reached, they had all composed themselves. Well, most of them.

Edward shot me a dark look and whispered far too soft and too low for Bella to hear. "You're going to pay for that, dear sister."

I stuck my tongue out at him and danced over to Jasper.

******************************************************************************

_Carlisle's POV_

Today my new daughter turns seven years old. I'd never been happier. Well, the day I met Esme, and the day we got married were equivalent to this, but still.

She had turned our usual daily routine into something much more interesting. I think that she has made life worth living for, especially for Edward. I'd guessed that even before Alice told me about her vision. I'd never seen so much emotion, so much life, in my son. He cared about Bella deeply, loved her deeply.

And in just a decade, she would make him the happiest man on earth.

How could I ever repay her?

When we decided on throwing Bella a party, we had all wanted to give her a special gift, different than the other things that Alice and Edward would surely get for her. Esme had immediately thought of the locket her mother had given her.

I'd heard Edward was giving her a charm bracelet with a diamond heart that belonged to his biological mother.

I was at a loss at what to give Bella myself-as a human, I only did what my father did. I don't think a bible and preaching to her about the evil that was vampires would be a very good birthday present.

So I'd gotten a charm for her bracelet made specially for her. It was a mini-cross, something that was very similar to what my own mother wore around her neck, with gold designs. I didn't know if she was religious. She was seven after all, and I thought it to be quite an oxymoron to teach her about God when I was a vampire. But Edward believed in God, and Heaven. And this was the closest I could think of that was a part of my human life.

When Alice had brought Bella up to her room, I'd reached into my pocket to feel for the charm. It was still there, thank God.

And then we'd heard Bella asking Alice why she always knew something was going to happen before it did. Well, Edward warned us that she was perceptive. I hadn't imagined she was this perceptive, though. I have to admit, Alice hadn't exactly been discreet about her visions. She'd just come dancing into the room talking about how tomorrow was going to be a gloomy day, or how Jasper was going to win at poker. Of course Bella would ask. She was seven, not incompetent.

When Alice told her about having visions, Bella complained about not being able to see the future like Alice could.

It wasn't what any of us expected. I think Edward went into shock. Emmett, however, burst out into laughter, howling like a rabid dog. He bent over in laughter, and soon, we were all joining him. Especially when Alice told Bella that Edward wished he could see the future as well.

He wasn't as appreciative, however, and was scowling the whole way.

When Alice and Bella came down the stairs, Bella tugged her hand free from Alice's grip and ran to Edward, latching onto his legs, Lilly at her feet.

I allowed myself to smile at the sight before holding out my hand. Bella stared at me shyly before taking it. I lifted her into my arms in one quick swoop. Bella squealed, surprised, and buried her face in my chest. I laughed and carried her to my office. I sat her down on my desk and she kicked her feet playfully, hands on the desk on either side of her.

"I wanted to give you a charm to put on Edward's bracelet, is that okay?" I asked her gently. I didn't want to upset her by doing something she didn't like. Bella stared at the bracelet for a moment before nodding her head slowly. I took out the cross charm and showed it to her. Bella smiled at it. "My dad was a pastor," I told her. "I just wanted you to have this, to remind you that while I can't ever replace your own daddy, I'd like to be there for you."

I fastened the charm and placed the bracelet around her wrist once more. "Like my second daddy?" Bella asked, tilting her head to one side.

I nodded my head, smiling. "If you want me to," I said.

Bella considered for a moment in silence then she said, "Esme's my mommy. You can be my daddy."

I stared at her, unblinking. Bella frowned, raising her hand to wave it in front of my face. "Daddy?" she whispered, worry evident in her voice.

I broke out into the biggest smile I'd ever smiled, and crushed her body to me. "Daddy! Can't _breathe_!" she gasped.

I laughed, letting her go. Bella glared at me for a moment before joining me, laughing as well. As we were going back to the living room, she stopped me and said, "Daddy? Could you beat Emmett in arm wrestling?"

Hmm.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

Carlisle? Beat _me _in arm wrestling? Not a chance! No one could take me! I'm unbeatable! The one and only Emmett Cullen, ladies and gentlemen.

And no reason to choke on your own laughter over there, Edward!

Alright, now I was nervous. There was only Rose and me left to give our presents. Rose wanted me to go first because she was still a little upset that Bella had called Esme 'mommy' instead of her. I hadn't thought it as a big deal. We all considered Esme a mother. But Rose had wanted Bella to be her kid, so it's understandable.

I still think Rose was overreacting, though. There's no saying how Bella felt about Rose. I mean, just look at the past few weeks. Bella respected Rose's decisions, and she loved Rose's concern for her.

When Edward went hunting the other day and Bella had a nightmare, she came screaming for Rose, didn't she? In my opinion, Bella considered Rose as a very important person in her life.

Bella came back into the living room being carried by Carlisle. She smiled widely at me. "Emmett!" Carlisle put her on the ground and she turned around to face me. "Daddy's _strong_," she informed me.

I laughed. "Well, you haven't seen how strong _I _can get," I teased.

"_Emmett_," Edward warned.

But Bella was already grinning from ear to ear. "Show me! Show me!"

Aw, hell. _She looked so excited, Edward, I can't just not show her. Besides, she already knows about us. Why not?_ I swear, Edward was too overprotective. I honestly wondered what he was going to do when she grows up.

At this, I saw Edward flinched.

I chuckled, and looked around for something I could crush. I couldn't find anything I could destroy that wouldn't invoke Esme's wrath. Edward was smirking. Just then, Alice danced into the house from the backyard. I hadn't even noticed she'd gone out. Edward frowned at her, but she ignored him. She practically floated to me-I think she was a ballerina as a human-and handed me a rock the side of my palm.

I grinned, bending down so that I was eye to eye with Bella, and showed her the rock. Her eyes wide and glittering, she watched me as I gripped the rock harder in my hand. She gasped as I ground the rock into dust.

She started jumping up and down in excitement, asking me to do it again, but I laughed and stood up. "Later, Bella, I want to give you my present first, okay?

She latched on to my leg, stubborn, and I ended up walking to the kitchen with Bella sitting on my foot, her arms wrapped around my leg. I bent and pried her from my leg, setting her down on the kitchen isle. She glared at me, upset that I wouldn't show her another trick.

I reached into my shirt pocket and pulled out a yellowed journal I'd kept since I was a little boy. It was thick, with pages sewn together, and some of the pages were sticking out. Bella stared at it curiously. "Since I was a kid like you, I loved playing pranks on people," I chuckled. "I had these crazy ideas I couldn't remember by the next day, so I wrote them all down. I kept writing in here until the day before I married Rosalie."

Bella threw up her hands in frustration. "Is everybody married?" she asked, rolling her eyes in that cute way of hers.

I snorted. "Edward isn't," I sang out.

"_Emmett_!" Both Edward and Alice shouted, both for different reasons. Edward was purely embarrassed, and mortified that I'd actually tell Bella that and discuss this with her. Alice just didn't want me to slip up.

I burst out in raucous laughter, and handed Bella the book. She flipped it open and stared at the notes I'd made, and her smile grew more pronounced with each page. "I could definitely use this," she said, looking up at me to grin evilly.

I reached out to shake her hand. "Partners in crime?" I whispered, knowing fully well the others could hear.

"Partners in crime," she agreed.

Oh, this was going to be _sweet_!

"Don't corrupt her, Emmett!" Esme warned from the living room. But it was too late. I recognized the look on Bella's face-she was already down the evil path.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

After Emmett had given me his gift, we'd gone back to the living room. Edward had tried to persuade me to hand over the gift but Esme had given him a bad look, and made him apologize. Edward said he was trying to save me from becoming like Emmett.

I didn't mind it. Emmett was always funny, and he played the funniest jokes on people. I liked it. And if he was going to share with me how to play pranks, then I want to learn.

We ended up sitting on the floor in a circle, opening the rest of the presents. Asides from the camera, I also got face paint (from Emmett, of course, who said that we should paint our face and play Red Indians…Esme wasn't too happy about that, but Alice was excited), a toy doctor's kit, what I thought was the whole collection of soft toys in the mall, books from Jasper, a silver mirror with a handle so I could carry it around, a Magic 8-Ball from Alice who said I could see the future with it, and toys for Lilly. Alice told me she'd gotten me some new clothes and shoes, too, but she'd put them in my closet when I wasn't looking.

I spent the rest of the day playing with my new toys-Emmett was especially excited to try the face paint. I made him use green all over his face so we could pretend we were spies. Rosalie had also gotten me a whole stack of Disney's princess movies. I watched The Little Mermaid three times-Edward was begging me to stop replaying it after that.

I ate more mac and cheese and cake for dinner while Jasper and Emmett re-enacted Sleeping Beauty for me. Emmett was Aurora.

Finally, it was time for bed. Rosalie took me up to my room while I carried Lilly. She was still a baby and I didn't want her to get tired. I yawned as Rose put me down on the bed and took out my pajamas. "Are you tired?" she smiled. I nodded my head, putting Lilly in her bed-it was one of the things Edward had gotten for her.

"Did you have fun today, angel?" Rosalie asked, crouching down in front of me to help me take off my dress and put on my pajamas.

I nodded my head again. "Yes, I did. Thank you for the presents," I said, blushing again as I realized how much they must have spent on me.

Rose smiled a little. "You're welcome."

Usually, Rose would be talkative, telling me about her day, or asking me if I'd brushed my teeth and washed my feet. But today, Rose didn't even say a word.

I realized that she looked upset, the way Esme did whenever Emmett trailed mud into the house after playing football or break the furniture because he lost a game to Jasper. But why was Rosalie sad? Didn't she have fun today? I thought everyone did. I saw Rosie laugh. I saw her hug Emmett and-ew-kiss him. I saw her taking pictures, and she even helped me cut the cake. So why was she sad?

Once she was done helping me with my pajamas, Rose placed me on the bed and sat next to me. I reached out to brush her cheek with my hand.

"Why are you sad?" I asked, tilting my head to one side.

Rosalie's eyes widened then she shook her head, chuckling. "Edward was right-you are perceptive."

I didn't know what that meant, but I really didn't want Rosie to be sad. "Aren't you going to tell me?" I pleaded, batting my lashes in the way I knew would get me anything I wanted from her. "I could help if you told me why you're sad…"

Rosalie shrugged, smiling a little. "It's really alright, angel. I'm fine, I'm just sad the day is over," she said.

Oh. Well, that made sense. If she had been having too much fun, maybe she didn't want the day to end because tomorrow might not be as fun.

I knelt on the bed on my knees and hugged her around the neck. "We'll play again tomorrow," I promised.

Rosalie pulled back and kissed me on the cheek. "Okay, angel." She sighed, and reached into her pocket. "I have one last present for you." I stared at her, trying to keep myself from looking too excited. I don't think it worked because Rosalie chuckled.

"It was mine, a long time ago," she said, pulling out a silver hairbrush, with a single rose carved on the back. I traced it with my finger. "You're going to be Bella Barbie with Alice a lot," I groaned at that, and Rosalie just smiled wider. "I just figured you could use a pretty brush."

I smiled and placed my head on her lap. Rosalie started to brush my hair and I closed my eyes, contented. "Thank you, mommy. I love it."

Rosalie's hand stopped brushing my hair, and my eyes snapped open. Had I said something wrong? I turned slightly, so that my head was facing Rosalie. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth hanging open. I reached up to tug at her hand. Why wasn't she responding? I started to panic.

"Mommy?" I called out. "Mommy!" I called out again, louder. Why wasn't anyone coming in? What did I do to make her act like that? I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.

This seemed to snap Rosalie out of her stupor. "No, no, baby, don't cry," she cooed, putting the brush aside and lifting me up slightly so that I was sitting on her lap instead of lying on it. "I was just…Shocked," she admitted.

"Why?" I asked, blinking back the tears.

Rosalie shrugged, brushing back a few stray hair from my face. "I heard you call Esme mommy in the morning. I just…I didn't think-"

She couldn't finish her sentences, so I leaned forward and kissed her cheek, just like she'd kissed mine earlier on. "Rosie," I giggled. "You and Esme are both my mommies. Don't you know that?"

I was baffled. Why else would I listen to everything the both of them told me to do? I loved them both equally.

I loved Alice, too, but she was more of my sister. I loved playing with her, and she took care of what I had to wear everyday because I couldn't be bothered. I would honestly just wear pants and a random shirt just so I could go out and play with the boys, but Alice insisted on dressing me up before I went out of my room.

Rosalie looked like she would start crying any second, but she never did. She gave me a big, shaky smile and hugged me close. "Thank you, baby. I love you, did you know that?"

I nodded my head. "I love you, too."

Rosalie tucked me in bed, and placed the silver hairbrush on the vanity. "Go to sleep, angel. We've got to start packing tomorrow," she told me. I made a face and she laughed. "Now, don't be like that. You'll have fun at our new home, I promise."

"'night Rose," I mumbled sleepily, turning to press the side of my face into my pillow.

"'night Bella."

I heard Rosalie switch on my nightlight-something I should probably stop using sometime soon-and close the door behind her when she went out.

"'night Lilly."

An answering 'meow' was the last thing I heard before sleep overtook me.

______________________________________________________________________________

_There's no Edward's POV in this chapter because I'd already done that with the last chapter for Bella's b'day. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you the next chapter._

_So, I'm going to wait a day before I write it because I want to see if anyone changed their minds or want to add to the votes. But no worries because I've got the plot all worked out whichever way the story goes._

_Just a recap,_

_Denali- 36 votes_

_London - 51 votes_

_7-9 years - 21 votes_

_13-15 - 44 votes_

_So far, London and 13-15 are winning. I just have to say that I think Edward should find out about the first vision when she's seven to nine years old. I know it's fiction, but I have a thing about being as realistic as I can go in a story about mythical creatures._

_Please read and review and tell me what you think of this chapter, and what you expect of the next (the moving chapter)._

_Thank you._


	12. And The Polls Are In

_**A/N: **__The polls are in and these are the results…_

_Denali straightaway - 39_

_London straightaway - 62_

_Edward finds out when Bella's 7-9 yrs - 24_

_Edward finds out when Bella's 13-15 yrs - 51_

_London beats Denali hands down, and 13-15 is more than twice that of 7-9. So, pretty obvious, the answer's London & 13-15. For those who wanted Denali & 7-9, I'm sorry. I'll try to make it as good as possible._

_P.S. For those wondering what 'pilipinis' meant, Bella was trying to pronounce Philippines. I know it sounds silly, but that's how my little cousin pronounced it once._

_To xoier118 and Paigeyx3Popcorn, really?? Thanks. I can't believe you'd think this story was a product of SM herself. That's an honor._

_To kellicolleen, Bella is a drug addict?? Is that even true?? No!!! I know it's just her alter ego Kristin Stewart, but it doesn't seem right…P.S. I still haven't watched the movie cuz it's not out in my country yet. I so desperately want to watch it…Sigh._

_To Hersheybear, I just realized Rosalie's POV wasn't there…Gosh, this is what happens when you spend hours typing away. So sorry. But Rose's and Bella's time together was what her POV was supposed to be about so…We didn't miss anything. And yes, the hairbrush was Rose's special gift. Also, I'm going to stay true to the story and have Edward a perfect gentlemen, refusing all those females. And I think brunette jibe was him teasing Bella so I'm not going to work that angle of him getting interested in another female. Too un-Edward._

_To reader13lovesbooks, that is something to think about…Jazz won't be pleased._

_To smartywitch, I know it's odd since she's so young, but Alice had to have the vision when she did, or Bella would have ended up Bella Cullen at 7, and it'd be weird when she's a teen. Not completely believable for everyone to forget about it after a while. I mean, they won't think of it 24/7, but whenever they see ExB together, they think of it, like "of course they're like that because-oops, not thinking it, not thinking it…" Don't worry no creepy 17 yr old falling in love with 7 yr old. I'm no perv. Now it's just a very strong friendship. You know Edward. Bella's vulnerable. He cares about her. Overprotective._

_Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and voted._

_Just to inform you, there are a few more chapters with Bella at ages 7/8 years old. Let me just list it down:_

_13. London Calling- Cullens and Hales move to London._

_14. Bella's Week Alone With the Cullen Boys._

_15. Denali Surprise._

_During this time, Edward will get more & more suspicious until Alice shows him a part of the future. He gets hysterical, but no running away, I promise. I, too, was upset by the lack of the Adonis that is Edward in NM._

_Then we move on to when Bella's 11. One or two chapters there, before we move on to Bella at 13, London, and Edward finding out._

_If that is too fast for any of you, or if you think I should add something in between, please let me know._

_P.S. I also wanted to bring in the Volturi for one chapter or two. Nothing horrible. I just read some stories with the Volturi in them and they seemed way OOC compared to the books. Also wondered if any of you knew how old Jane is physically? I only know she's Alec's twin._

_Okay, okay, I'm so sorry for yet another A/N. I know you guys hate that. I do too. But there were a lot of issues I needed to clarify first. Thank you for reading. Two chapters on their way._

_Juliet.  
_


	13. London Calling

_**A/N:**__ Thank you so much for the reviews. Here's the chapter where they move to…LONDON. P.S. I know nothing about London, so don't throw me in the fire or anything if and when I get things wrong._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Emmett, Esme_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

My room was almost empty now, except for the bed, the vanity and the wardrobe. Alice said the new house was going to have new furniture.

We were going all the way to _London_. When I asked Jasper where that was, he'd shown me the world map. That is a long way to go.

He said we would take the plane.

I was afraid of taking the plane.

Emmett told me stories about how people went on flights, and then the plane crashed in the middle of the ocean, or on an island, and they have to eat each other because they would starve if they don't. Esme grounded him for a month-he'd continue his punishment at our new home.

Jasper told me a secret-he has a cool power too. He could make someone feel anything. To prove it, he made Alice really mad at Edward for no reason, and we watched while she chased him around the house for an hour. Carlisle promised not to tell Esme about it when she got home from hunting.

Then Jasper made Emmett cry over everything. And I mean _everything_. He cried when Rosalie threw him a glare. He cried when he lost a poker game. He cried when Esme came home and scolded him for breaking a vase. I felt bad for him so I told her the real culprit of the crime-Carlisle. He was trying to play catch with me, but he threw too hard and broke the vase instead. Esme didn't get mad at him.

Instead, she got mad at Jasper for using his gift to _minipilate_ everybody's feelings. He said he was only proving his point to me. If I got scared on the plane, he would know and he'd calm me down. I didn't believe he could-until he calmed Esme down so much she almost toppled over from an overdose of serenity.

Yeah, he got grounded, too.

But I felt better.

I still didn't want to leave the house, though. Edward was leaving his piano here. How would he play for me in London? He said he had another piano there, but it still didn't make me want to go.

My mommy and daddy were here. In Forks. I can't see them anymore, but I could visit them at the cemetery. Edward took me yesterday to tell them goodbye for now. I got really upset and cried for three hours straight. Edward had to calm me down by saying that my parents are never really gone. They would always be in my heart and my memory. I had to go on with life and make them proud to have me as their daughter. I had to be strong, and smart, and kind.

I knew I was being stubborn. Everyone was already downstairs. But I missed it here already and we haven't even left. I just didn't want to go. I had a nice room, we had a nice house. Rose had sat me down and told me that moving was a part of being a Cullen. To which I responded that I wasn't a Cullen, I was a Hale. She'd laughed and said, "It's part of being a Hale, too, angel."

They had to move, to keep up appearances. They would never grow old. People would suspect they weren't human if they stayed. And I loved them. I wanted to be with them. I'd go with them. I'd just miss being here, that's all.

There was a knock at the door, and I lifted my head to see Edward leaning against the door frame, a sad smile on his face. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head frantically, my gaze dropping to my lap once more as I kicked my legs while I sat on the edge of my bed. Well, what was once my bed.

Edward sighed and came into the room. He sat next to me. "You know, London won't be so bad," he said. "In fact, you might like it there. There's going to be new friends, new people…"

I was still silent, and wasn't even looking at him as he said all this. "Don't you want to come with us and Lilly?" he whined playfully. "You don't want to be left behind, do you?"

My head shot up and I gazed at him in panic. "No!" I yelled, climbing onto his lap.

Edward laughed a little, rubbing my back soothingly. "It's alright, Bella. We would never leave you," he soothed.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I sighed as my gaze swept around my room once more. Then I looked up into Edward's smiling topaz eyes and shrugged. "Okay. Let's go to London."

******************************************************************************

Our flight was in an hour's time. It was seven thirty in the morning when we got to the airport. I hadn't had breakfast. There wasn't any food left in the kitchen and Esme had packed all the kitchen knives because Emmett had taken up a habit of throwing them around.

Most of our stuff had been sent to London already, and Alice said that those would arrive a day after we did. We had some clothes and whatnot with us, though. My stomach grumbled loudly as Jasper and Emmett handled our suitcases. Due to their super hearing, they all heard me and turned to look at me. I blushed.

Edward chuckled, and offered me a hand. "What do you say we go find you some breakfast?" he smiled.

My embarrassment forgotten, I slipped my small hand in his and let him lead me away from the family to get food.

I ate a slice of pizza and drank a cup of hot chocolate. Edward bought me a jelly doughnut to eat on the way back to the family. He didn't want me to suffer if I got hungry later since we still had half an hour left before we should board the plane.

When we got back to where the family were waiting, I grinned. It was very typically Cullen what I saw. Carlisle had his arms around Esme's waist, and they were watching their children. Alice and Rosalie were sharing a magazine, gasping at certain things they read. Jasper and Emmett were arguing over who won their latest arm wrestling match-Jasper was certain that he'd won, and Emmett said Jasper cheated.

Esme had to finally plead Edward to find out who really won. Edward had smirked and told them Jasper had cheated-he'd used his gift to weaken Emmett and had slammed his hand down when Emmett was distracted.

Jasper shot Edward a dirty look for ratting him out but I had another question in mind. "Edward?" I tugged at his sleeve. He looked down at me as if he was surprised I was there. His face betrayed his guilty expression. "How did you know that?"

No one said anything for a moment, but Edward scowled in Alice's direction. I thought I heard Jasper growl.

"Edward?" I prompted.

He sighed, hanging his head for a moment. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed shut. I waited patiently for him to speak. When he didn't, I climbed off Rosalie's lap and made my way to him. I stood directly in front of him and placed a hand on his arm. "You can tell me," I assured him.

Edward opened his eyes and gave me a weak smile. "Do you promise not to be upset or afraid of me?" he asked, his voice almost too quiet for me to hear.

But I'd been straining my ears to catch his words, so I nodded my head eagerly. "Well…" he hesitated. "I can read minds," he concluded.

My face must have shown the horror I felt, for he immediately turned his face away from me. I danced around to meet his eyes, but every time I stepped to a certain angle to see his face clearly, he averted it again.

I sighed loudly. "Edward!" I complained.

He looked at me warily. "I…" I bit my lip. "Does that mean you can hear everything I think?" I asked worriedly.

Edward shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "No, Bella. I can't read your mind. Only yours. I don't know why…" he trailed off.

Well, that doesn't seem too bad, then. But why couldn't he read my mind if he could read other people's minds? I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. "Are you lying?" I accused, narrowing my eyes at him.

I'd wanted to scare him into telling the truth but he just chuckled at my behavior. I suppose a vampire like him couldn't be afraid of a seven year old human girl…

"No, I'm not," he answered truthfully.

I considered. So he, Alice and Jasper all have powers? Do all of them? I opened my mouth to ask but Alice shook her head. "No, just us three." I shot her a puzzled look and she giggled, tapping her forehead with a finger.

I smacked my forehead with my palm. How could I forget Alice could see the future? I turned back to face Edward, and frowned. "Why didn't you want to tell me about reading people's minds?" I asked, more confused now than ever.

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. I sighed loudly and climbed onto his lap so I could really look into his eyes without having him avert his gaze. He looked at me, surprised and I smiled sweetly at him. "Tell me," I ordered.

"I just…I didn't want to scare you," he admitted. "It was bad enough for you to hear that monsters are real. I didn't want you to be scared of anything else."

I drew in a sharp intake of breath. His head snapped up, and he looked at me, worried. I couldn't speak for a moment. Was this what Edward thought I saw him as? Was this how he viewed himself? He couldn't have been more wrong.

And I thought he was the smart one.

"Is that…" I struggled to say the words, but I was too angry.

"You're angry," Edward commented, a look of shock on his face.

"Of course I'm angry!" I yelled. I noticed a few people shoot me a few looks, but I didn't care. I lowered my voice, though, so no one other than Edward and the Cullens and Hales would hear what I'd say next. "A monster? Is that how you think I see you?"

He looked confused. "I'm…You _know _what I am, Bella," he said in a pained voice.

I nodded my head. "Yes. You're my best friend."

He rolled his eyes. "Bella," he groaned, shaking his head.

But I spoke before he had a chance to. "You're not a monster. You're a very good person. You gave me Lilly. And you didn't even eat her," I said, smiling.

He raised an eyebrow and I shrugged. "Emmett said you liked eating cats."

He shot Emmett a dark look, and Emmett only laughed. "_Big _cats, though," he amended through his laughter.

I placed my hands on either side of Edward face to force him to look at me again. It was like pulling a really heavy piece of rock. But Edward obliged and turned to look at me. "You're a good person," I said again firmly. "You make a lot of people very happy. You. Are. Not. A. Monster."

He just sat there, his face blank, not saying anything. His eyes were burning into mine and I blushed under the intensity of his golden gaze. Then he smiled. "I don't scare you?"

I shrugged, tilting my head to one side. "No more than usual," I teased back. He got this really funny look in his eyes, and he caught me in his arms and pulled me into a bone-crunching hug. Thank God he didn't squish my doughnut.

Edward pulled back and opened her mouth but Alice interrupted, clearing her throat. "Sorry to break up the moment," she laughed. "But if we speak any more about…you know what, then someone's going to hear-I saw it," she said knowingly.

Emmett clapped his huge hands together and smiled slyly at Jasper. "Well, then, I guess it's time for Jazzy boy here," Jasper growled at the nickname and I giggled. "To be punished for cheating." Emmett turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "Any ideas, devil?" he asked, deliberately altering my nickname.

I bit my lip and thought, then I smiled widely. It was too easy, but it was too perfect. Alice, seeing my punishment for Jasper, burst into peals of laughter. Edward shook with silent laughter as well, having read it in Alice's mind.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I announced to a confused Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme. I turned to Jasper and held out my doughnut. He looked terrified now. "Will you finish my doughnut for me, please?" I asked him sweetly.

Emmett laughed so hard he fell off his chair. Esme shushed him, but she too had a grin plastered on her face.

Jasper stared at the doughnut like it had cooties on it, then swallowed. "No," he said firmly. "No way."

But Emmett slapped him on the head. "You cheated. You have to. Tell him mom!" he whined to Esme, who merely shrugged. She still looked amused.

Jasper snatched the doughnut from my hand and glared at me. I found this too funny to be afraid. Besides, Jasper would never hurt me. He was just a sore loser right now.

With a disgusted look on his face, he started munching on it. Emmett had told me that because vampires don't need human food, they'd have to barf it out if they ever ate it. He said it was okay, though, because sometimes they dare each other to do it. I'd never seen any one of them eat human food, so my eyes were fixed on Jasper.

He finished it just in time for us to board the plane.

"I'm gonna be sick," he muttered.

Alice smiled at him sympathetically. "You can get sick on the flight, Jazz. Just don't ruin the shirt," she added.

Emmett gave me a high five.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

Poor Jasper threw up five minutes into the flight. I was chortling the whole way. Damn. Remind me never to make Bella mad. If she did that out of playfulness, imagine what she would do out of anger or for revenge? I shuddered at the thought, and I swore I saw Edward smirk.

We haven't had the chance to use my prank journal yet. The day after her birthday, Edward had hidden it. He swore he didn't, and Bella believed him but I knew better. Alice wouldn't help us find it. It was hours later when we found it in the piano. Bella wouldn't talk to Edward for three days until he practically had to beg her for forgiveness.

I chuckled at the memory, causing Rose to give me an odd look and Edward to glare at me. Jasper sent us both calming waves. I guess he was still feeling too nauseous to deal with additional emotions.

I couldn't wait to try out the prank journal with Bella. She could be pretty devious when she wants to.

We were taking first class seats, so I was sitting next to my Rosie. Edward took the seat next to Bella. Jasper-once he got back from the bathroom, of course-sat with Alice, and Carlisle with Esme.

The light came on for us to buckle in our seatbelts, and we did so. Though it was unlikely that any one of us would actually get hurt even if the plane crashed. Except for Bella, of course. But Edward would get to her before that happened any day.

The plane took off, and I noticed Bella gripping Edward's hand with both of hers tightly, her already pale face going even paler. I stifled my laughter. Who knew Bella was so scared of flying?

"You're the one who told her stories of planes crashing, Emmett!" Edward hissed, too low for Bella, or any other humans in first class, to hear.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was too overprotective! Honestly! _Chill, bro. She'll get over it._ After all, Bella didn't strike me as someone who'd stick to a fear. She'd outgrow it.

Once the plane was in the air, and the light went off to indicate we could take off our seatbelts, Edward pried Bella's small fingers from his hand and proceeded to remove her seatbelt as well as his. "Are we gonna crash?" she whispered, worried.

Edward smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Bella, we won't," he whispered back.

Bella calmed down a bit and I had the feeling Jasper had something to do with it. Soon she was smiling a little even. Lilly was in the cargo hold-Rosalie said that if Lilly flew with us, Bella would want to take her out of her kennel to play and that wasn't allowed.

Then came the turbulence. Bella whimpered, reaching blindly for Edward, her eyes squeezed shut, her entire body shaking. In one fell swoop, Edward had lifted her from her chair and cradled her against his chest. Bella buried her face in his chest and breathed heavily.

Alright, now I felt guilty for telling her all those stories. They were meant to be a joke-I didn't know she'd take them so seriously.

Of course, Jasper sensed my guilt and turned it up a notch. Or two. Or three… "What the hell, Jasper!?" I snapped.

He grinned back at me, unrepentant.

I scowled and settled back in my seat.

Soon enough, Bella calmed down and went back to her seat. A stewardess walked by to hand us our meals. We really didn't need the food, but we had to pretend to eat them to avoid suspicion.

The stewardess going down Edward and Bella's row shot him a flirtatious smile. I choked back my laughter. I didn't need Jasper's empathic abilities or be able to read her mind to know what she wanted.

She handed Edward the vegetarian meal-ironic, no? With a smile, she asked in what I supposed was a husky voice if he wanted anything else. Edward looked partially horrified as he tried to put on his poker face. I'm guessing her thoughts were less tame than her actual actions.

Edward took the easy way out-he asked Bella. She scrunched up her nose, then tugged at the stewardess' shirt. She didn't seem to realize that Bella was trying to get her attention. I rolled my eyes. She was too busy staring at an uncomfortable Edward.

Frustrated, Bella stood up on her seat. "Bella!" Edward called out, alarmed, reaching out to steady her before she fell or something. Knowing Bella, that was entirely probable.

Since she stood on her seat, Bella came face to face with the stewardess. "I want orange juice," she announced. Esme cleared her throat loudly and gave Bella a reprimanding, motherly look. Bella added, "Please," to the end of her sentence.

The stewardess looked shocked, as if she hadn't registered someone sitting next to Edward. "Of course," she said, pouring Bella a cup of orange juice. She handed it to Bella with an exaggerated fake smile. I winced. Bella hated it when people did that. It might just be her age, but she was extremely blunt. I hoped she didn't say anything appropriate.

Then again…Entertainment would be nice.

Edward pulled Bella down to a sitting position before allowing her to drink the juice.

The stewardess looked back at Edward and grinned. "She's so…adorable," she cooed, pinching Bella's cheek. Bella stopped drinking and glared at her. "Is she your sister?"

Edward looked uncomfortable. No, he really wasn't Bella's brother. Funny how even now he could sense that though he didn't understand it. I knew they weren't there yet, but their interactions were still comical most of the times.

"Uh, no," he mumbled.

The stewardess wasn't fazed. "She's such a cute little girl," she continued. "You must be really good at looking after her," she commented, her voice taking that husky tone to it again.

I saw Edward shooting daggers at Jasper and realized that my dear brother was giving that woman lusty shots of confidence. I almost rolled on the floor laughing.

But Bella had other plans. She stood up to look at the stewardess in the eyes. Edward groaned and tried to get her to sit down again. But she didn't listen. "I'm not _little_," she said bitingly. "I'm _seven_!" She held out her hands, five fingers played on one, and three fingers curled on the other, to show seven fingers.

The stewardess blinked. "I'm a big girl," Bella added, hands flying to her hips.

I heard my family trying to hold in their laughter. The poor stewardess was embarrassed enough.

Edward pulled Bella back down to a sitting position, and told her not to stand. "It's dangerous, Bella," he told her. Funny how his voice didn't even sound angry.

Bella wanted another cup of orange juice. The stewardess scowled slightly, but obliged. "Nice kid," she snapped at Edward.

Edward only gave her one of his patented charming smiles he used on humans-especially the women-to get his way and nodded his head. "The best," he agreed, as if she had actually complimented Bella.

The stewardess stared at him, shocked for a moment, then she continued on down the aisle.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Bella had fallen asleep half way through the flight. She hadn't gotten much sleep yesterday because she'd been too worried about flying. Emmett just had to tell her those stories…I sighed. I glanced down at her.

She hadn't really woken up, only staying conscious long enough for me to buckle her back in her seat before the plane landed, and unbuckle her to carry her out of the plane.

We'd passed the atrocious woman neither Bella nor I were fond of on the way out. Honestly. Who hired these people? I shuddered.

We were now waiting for Alice and Rosalie to come pick us up in our rentals. Our cars had already been sent to our new estate. I would have gone to pick up the rentals myself but Bella had fallen asleep in my arms and I really didn't want to hand her over to anyone else.

She had her head nestled in the crook of my neck, her thin legs wrapped around my middle. Coco-Teddy the bear-undoubtedly one of her favorite soft toys-was cradled between my cold chest and her warm body. She never slept without that thing since she'd gotten it. I smiled down at her.

Bella stirred a little and blinked up at me. "Are we there yet?" she asked sleepily. I shook my head no. "Don't forget Lilly," she mumbled before closing her eyes again.

She slept through the entire journey to our new home. It was beautiful as always, thanks to Esme. A secluded Victorian mansion covered by forestry, completely shrouded from view of the humans. This would be perfect for us.

Not to mention, our high school was within the town itself. It was pretty cloudy most of the time here, raining almost as much as it did in Forks. It only made the weather twice as cold since we were in London, after all.

When Rosalie drove up to the mansion, Bella stirred, yawning as she opened her eyes. Her mouth fell open as she stared up at the three story-mansion in front of us. I chuckled. "Do you like it?" I asked.

She blushed at being caught staring. "It's big," she mumbled, burying her overheated face in my cool chest. I fought the urge to laugh harder-Bella didn't need the embarrassment.

Rosalie, Esme, Bella and I climbed out of the car while Emmett was going to drive the rental back to the airport.

"How will you get back?" Bella asked innocently, staring up at Emmett with her big chocolate eyes.

He shrugged, grinning, "I'll run."

Speed was a natural part of our nature. In fact, it was pretty exhilarating. I loved it, as did everyone else in our family. It's why we talk so fast, why we drive so fast. When we run, we do it equally as fast.

Her eyes widened. "That's a long way to run," she said. "Won't you get tired?"

Emmett chuckled. "Of course not, silly. I'm a vampire, remember?" he pointed at his chest as he said this.

Bella, realizing that he meant he would use vampire speed, started to laugh.

Emmett and Jasper drove Alice's and Rose's rentals back to the airport, though it looked suspiciously like they were racing back. I hoped they didn't spoil the cars-our cars normally undergo a few, uh, _changes _by Rosalie before we could drive them that fast.

We went inside, Bella holding my hand with one of hers and clutching Coco in another. She was anxious to see Lilly again.

Alice was already dancing around the place inside, driving Carlisle, Rosalie and Esme mad. She was too excited about this place. Most of the furniture were already in place-Esme had done it all during her renovations. But our things weren't here yet. Most of it will arrive later today, or tomorrow. Alice said there was going to be a possible delay.

But Lilly was already out of her kennel, shyly maneuvering around this unfamiliar territory. When she saw Bella, she quickly darted forward to brush her soft body against Bella's leg. Bella giggled, and bent down to play with Lilly.

I smiled, and let go of her hand, going around to pick Bella's bags and mine to put it in our respective rooms. My room was nearly an exact replica of the one back in Forks. Golden in different shades. There were shelves along the walls for my music collection, and the black sofa was almost identical.

Bella's room was blue but Alice, I'm guessing, had persuaded Esme to add purple and pink around the room. I chuckled, placing Bella's bags on the floor. I hoped she liked purple and pink.

When I got back downstairs, Bella was still on the floor, playing with Lilly, dangling Coco in front of her. Lilly was attempting to claw at Coco, but she couldn't reach. Bella was giggling the whole time.

"Bella," I called out. "Do you want to see your new room?" I asked.

Her eyes lit up and she scrambled to her feet. "I'm carrying Coco," she pouted at me. "Can you carry Lilly for me? Please?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at me. I groaned inwardly. All she had to do was say the 'p' word, and I was a goner. I'd just do whatever she asked me to…How was this fair?

I nodded my head and strode forward. I scooped Lilly up in one hand and grabbed onto Bella's hand with my other-if I didn't, she'd fall over anyway.

We made it up the spiraling stairs, and I was grateful that they were wide steps. Bella wouldn't fall as much this way. Maybe Esme intended it to be this way for that purpose.

Once we were outside Bella's room, I pushed it open. Bella gasped. There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room with blue satin spread and pillows, pushed against the wall, facing the windows. I could only guess that the reason for a queen sized bed was because Bella tended to roll in her sleep and would have ended up on the floor had I not, uh, _accidentally _been there to catch her. Esme had placed rods on the ceiling right above the bed and both sides of the wall on either side of it. A canopy was draped over the rods, where it flowed all the way to the floor.

On either side of the bed, there was a bedside table. On the left side of the wall, just above the bedside table, hung a garden trellis nailed to the wall. Lilac and freesia clung to it.

On the bare wall, someone-presumably Alice-had placed a shadow box with a purple tutu, hair scrunchie and ballet shoes in it. Next to it was a floor length mirror with a white frame with pink roses carved on the surface.

Then there was a vanity, a wardrobe, the door to her own bathroom…Of course, there was also her play area. There was a deep red rug somewhere to the far left, near the fireplace. I'm assuming Esme won't allow that fireplace to be used unless there was an adult with Bella. The toy shelves were empty because her things hadn't arrived yet. But I could see the small round table near the fireplace, with a small armchair obviously meant for Bella next to it. The table had a purple and pink quilt on it, acting as a table topper.

I snuck a look at Bella, who had frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open. She stood staring at the room, unblinking. I chuckled and bent down, releasing Lilly to play. She headed straight for the play area, where she had her own scratch post and kitty toys and her small kitten bed.

"Do you like the room?"

Bella finally blinked, taking in a ragged breath. She must have stopped breathing when we entered. I laughed. Bella glared at me. "S'not funny," she muttered, stomping into the room, and attempting to climb on the bed. She failed, countless times. Shaking my head, I picked her up and set her on the satin sheets. It was true-Esme and Alice had overdone it this time. Even I could see that.

Bella was blinking back tears and I frowned. I truly didn't understand her sometimes. Why on earth was she crying now?

"Why are you crying, Bella?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"Am _not _crying," she said defiantly, crossing her arms across her chest and sniffing. I raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she dragged out the word, as if she was exhausted from all my prying. I grinned.

"This must have been a lot of trouble for Esme," she said softly, trailing aimless patterns on the sheet with a gentle finger.

I smiled. So that was what she was worried about? Silly Bella. This must have been such a shock for her, truly seeing for the first time how out of control Esme and Alice can get, spoiling her like this. Her room back in Forks wasn't done properly, according to them, because we were stayed there for a few weeks.

They had put more time and effort into this room.

But Bella was a self-conscious child, even at age seven. She hated it that Esme and Alice must have worked so hard on this, just for her.

I placed a finger under her chin to lift her face. I smiled down at her. "Hey, this makes her and Alice happy," I told her. Bella looked incredulous. I had to admit. When Esme and Alice first started collaborating and going crazy over everyone's rooms when we all got together, I didn't understand what the allure was either. I still don't. I just knew it was pointless to argue.

"No, really," I said. "They make a big fuss over everyone's room. Don't worry about it. They love doing this, and they'd love to know you like your new room," I encouraged.

Bella sighed, and looked around again. "It's a lot," she said slowly. "But I think it's nice," she admitted, smiling shyly at me.

I laughed, jumping off the bed. "Do you want to see my room?" I offered.

******************************************************************************

_Esme's POV_

Alice couldn't stop bouncing next to me as we eavesdropped on Bella's conversation with Edward. We had both put a lot of hard work into decorating Bella's room. I'd taken care of all the shelves and whatnot. Alice had decorated. Alice was particularly fond of the ballerina shadow box.

"It's a lot," I heard Bella say. "But I think it's nice."

I covered my ears as Alice let out a glass-shattering squeal. I could hear Edward laughing upstairs.

I stopped eavesdropping on Edward's time with Bella, and went around to straighten out the place, Alice dancing around as she helped me.

Carlisle had gone straight to his new study to check the interiors-I'd done everything to his liking. I smiled, thinking of how he'd love the new Victorian table I'd gotten for him.

Rosalie had gone straight to the garage to check on her precious car.

I sighed. Jasper and Emmett were due to be back any second now. Our things were slated to arrive by this evening, but Alice had told us of a certain incident that would delay it until tomorrow morning.

I glanced at the stairs, and thought. We haven't taken Bella out as an entire family yet. We'd all spent time with her separately. And we'd all spent time as a family inside, on movie nights and such. But we hadn't done anything together outdoors.

The children would be starting school soon. Carlisle would start working at the hospital on Monday. Bella would be registered in school soon, as well. She was seven, and would be attending primary school.

Edward and I had had a serious discussion about this-he was convinced that Bella should be home-schooled.

"You don't know how insane humans are, Esme! For all we know, a crazy kid might bring a gun to school to shoot everyone!"

"They're _children_! Seven year olds, Edward, be reasonable," I had calmly tried to dissuade him/

Jasper, having studied psychology more than once, had said that it was Edward's overprotective streak that had him lashing out.

He wanted Bella safe, and what was safer than having her study at home? It was also his reluctance at having Bella grow up. When she goes to school, she would make new friends, and learn new things, and socialize. She would be growing up.

He was afraid she'd drift apart from us, from him.

Oh, Edward. How could that even happen?

I sighed, shaking my head.

Maybe we should take Bella out today…Before our things arrived, of course. Alice would see when that was, and we'd have plenty of time. I just wanted us all to have one special day together before beginning our lives here in a foreign place.

Alice squealed again and hugged me from behind. "A picnic?" she jumped, excited. "How nice!"

Yes. I smiled. How nice, indeed. A great way for all of us to bond with Bella.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Like I said, I know virtually nothing about London. I read somewhere that Essex and Norwich are rainy, but I have no idea if that's true. I really should take a trip to the UK, soon…_

_I have a fair share of readers from the UK, right?? Please help, I have a thing about giving names of towns and such in my stories, and I'd prefer it to be a real town. Do you know of such a place matching the description above? It's a vague description so it's not too specific. Where do you see the Cullens moving to in the UK?? Tell me, tell me, please!!!_

_And, of course, review, and tell me what you think of this particular chapter. I need to know. Remember just a few chapters left until we skip ahead to when Bella's about ten or eleven._

_Thank you!!!_


	14. Connor and I

_**A/N:**__ Okay, okay, I know I said two more chapters 'til she's 11. But I needed to add one more before that. This is the picnic, and the Cullens meeting a new coven of vampires. I just wanted to see little Bella's reaction to them-especially to their LITTLE surprise…LOL. I'm being vague I know but that's what less sleep does to you. I swear I just talked to Elvis in my room._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Carlisle, Edward, Rosalie, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Rosalie's POV_

Not even an hour in the house and Bella's managed to fall three times. Honestly, she has got to be the most clumsy girl who ever lived. But I still love her.

The odd thing is, she never cried when she fell. She'd sniffle a little, look sad, and she'd accept a hug, but she never cried. Her level of maturity impressed me and scared me at the same time.

We're already here in London-I'd be going to school soon, and Bella would be growing up. I knew time wouldn't have stood still if we'd stayed in Forks either, but this just made it all the more real.

I wanted to stay at home. We've gone to school plenty of times before. If Carlisle and Esme said that I was being home schooled or if I dropped out, it wouldn't be suspicious at all, would it? These were all normal human things. But Carlisle said that it drew more attention to us, and he didn't want that.

Bella would be going to school, but she would be home a lot sooner than I would. Esme said she could handle Bella until we got home. I knew she could. I just wanted more time with my daughter. I knew it was ridiculous to the others, but I felt insane jealous of Esme for getting that time.

Esme wanted to go for a picnic today-our things won't be arriving until tomorrow morning. Bless Alice and her visions. Bella seemed excited about it, and the day was perfect for a picnic-cloudy, slightly wet, but not raining. Alice said it wouldn't rain until nighttime, so Alice had run upstairs to raid through what little change of clothes she'd packed for Bella, and Esme had sent Emmett out to get some sandwiches for Bella…It _was _a picnic after all.

I sighed as I waited for the others to come down. I didn't know what I was expecting, having Bella in my life. I just knew that I wanted to be her mother, someone who would look out for her, someone who…Does all the motherly things for her. She called me 'mommy'. But then again, she called Esme the same thing, too.

It was vain to be jealous, but I couldn't help myself.

"Hey," I jumped a little and smiled sheepishly at Jasper as he wandered into the room. "You okay?" he asked, frowning. "I could sense the sadness and guilt all the way from my room."

I smiled. Jasper could be a real brother when he wanted to be. I had to give him that. But I wasn't so sure that I wanted to talk about this with him. It would just be plain embarrassing. Not to mention the fact that everyone in the family, bar Bella, would be able to hear me. Edward already heard it-every single one of my thoughts. I didn't need anyone else knowing, too. I knew Esme loved Bella, too, maybe even as much as I do. She had lost her child, and I'd lost the chance to have a child. Bella was our second chance. I just needed to learn how to share, I suppose.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, Jasper," I said. Thank God my voice didn't crack. "I just…I'm worried about Monday, you know? Less time with Bella, more time with ridiculous hormonally charged teenagers…I'll be fine."

He just stared at me for a moment, then he leaned forward to whisper only for my ears to hear. "I know that's not it. If you want to talk, Rose, I'm there," he gave me a small smile before disappearing up the stairs.

Alice was lucky to have him.

I was lucky to have Emmett. He wasn't the most serious guy around most of the times, but that's how I like him. He took my mind off things. But when I needed my man to be there for me, he always was. Emmett was a surprisingly attentive guy. I could always talk to him about my problems.

I just wasn't sure if I wanted him to know my selfish side in regards to Bella.

I'm just…Allowed, right? I knew that I wasn't the one to find her. I wasn't the first to hold her. Those rights belonged to Edward, Carlisle and Esme. But I still loved her. I wanted her to be mine. I still do.

But if half is all I can get, I'll take it.

"Mommy!"

My head snapped up, and my eyes found my Bella as she carefully made her way down the stairs, one step at a time. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt, a jacket with a hoodie over it. I watched as she stumbled a little, and was there faster than a blink of an eye to catch her.

She smiled sheepishly up at me, and I carried her down the last few steps. "Bella," I said warningly, though I couldn't help the smile that crept up my face. I set her down on her feet in the living room. I knelt down in front of her to be at her eye level. "_Try _to be careful?"

"Sorry," she pouted.

I laughed, and reached forward to zip up her hoodie jacket. "You excited to go for our picnic?" I asked, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her off the ground. Bella shrieked in surprise, then wrapped her legs around my waist for support.

She nodded her head, "Yes. Emmett said we could collect worms."

I wrinkled my nose, and rolled my eyes. Worms? Of all the things…Did I mention that Emmett could also be a real idiot from time to time?

"Why would Emmett," I growled out his name. "Want to collect worms?"

Bella shrugged. "He said he wanted to-"

"Bella!" Emmett emerged at the top of the stairs. He rushed down the steps at vampire speed, and clamped a hand over Bella's mouth. "You're not supposed to tell anyone," he said urgently.

I rolled my eyes again and shoved his hand away. "Are you planning some vile trick with her, Emmett?" I asked. "Don't do that, okay? You're turning her into a trickster, and I don't like it." The next thing you know, the two of them will be Wednesday and Pugsley. Gross.

I heard laughter coming from behind Emmett's large figure and Emmett turned, moving aside so I could see as well. Edward descended from the stairs gracefully, humor in his eyes.

I glared at him, and placed one hand on my hip while the other securely held Bella against me. "Aren't you going to yell at him for asking her to pick worms?" I demanded.

Edward shrugged. "As long as she doesn't eats them," he replied cheekily.

I fumed. So apparently, the prank would not include him. Traitor.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

They took me to the park. It was slightly windy, but Rosalie said it was okay because it wasn't enough to mess up her hair. There was, apparently, enough clouds in the sky. I didn't know what that meant, but Alice said that I'd find out soon enough, so I didn't ask any more questions.

Our stuff haven't arrived yet, but Esme managed to get me sandwiches and juice in a picnic basket and a picnic blanket.

Rose won't let me play until I ate a sandwich-she said that the last time I ate something was on the plane, and that was hours ago, so she didn't want me to get sick. Emmett didn't have to eat anything first, so he could go play. I sulked when I sat down to eat, but when I bit into the sandwich I realized that I actually _was _hungry. I ended up eating two before joining Emmett play with the ducks.

It was really fun. We chased them around the pond, and Emmett even fell in to scare the ducks that had gotten in the water.

Emmett then said we should look for our worms, and took out an empty jar and two small spades.

I was supposed to look on my left, and he was supposed to look on my right. I caught quite a lot of worms, and I needed to put them in the jar before they escaped, but Emmett had the jar. I turned around to find him and saw that he was already making his way towards me.

He stooped down to my level on his knees and grinned at the worms. "Hey, kiddo. That's a lot of worms there. Good work!" he started to place them in the jar, one handful at a time.

The jar was empty before my worms were dumped into it. I was about to scold him for slacking when I noticed that there was a feather stuck to his mouth.

Edward and Alice started laughing in the distance.

I narrowed my eyes at Emmett and placed my hands on either side of my hips. "Emmett?" I asked, tapping my foot and crossing my arms across my chest.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have a feather stuck to your lips?"

He looked surprised, like he hadn't noticed it. He quickly swiped at the feather, looking guilty the whole time. I glanced around the park, and noticed the ducks. I gasped. "You didn't!" I slapped him lightly on the shoulder. I knew if I hit any harder, it would only hurt me. He wouldn't feel a thing.

Emmett only shrugged sheepishly. "I wanted to know how they'd taste like," he grinned.

I rolled my eyes and made my way to where he was supposed to have dug for worms-we needed more for our plan. Emmett followed me in silence. After a moment, I asked, "So how'd they taste like?"

"Like chicken."

We dug around a bit and found A LOT of worms…They were all wriggly and gross, but I didn't mind it.

Alice minded, though. She yelled at Emmett for ever letting me touch the worms-she'd thought Emmett was just kidding when he decided to look for worms, and that I would never actually do it.

I suppose her anger had more to do with the mud on my hands and my outfit more than anything. She spent twenty minutes trying to get it all out, but some things even a vampire couldn't do.

Jasper pretended to be mad about the plane incident-barfing isn't a pleasant experience. But I knew he was joking-I saw him smile when he thought I wasn't looking. So I ended up being chased by him around the park.

He used human speed for a while, then we reached the woodland area and, while no human was around, he ran at me full vampire speed, and scooped me up. I shrieked as loud as I could, laughing at the same time. I thought my heart was going to stop because of the adrenaline. Then he froze, his smile slipping away. I waved a hand in front of his eyes, but he didn't even blink.

He had that look of concentration on his face, the one he used whenever I asked him to re-do my Rubik's cube. I kept messing it up after he's done just to see him do it again. It annoyed him to no end, so it was funny to watch.

His eyes had gone black, but it wasn't out of hunger, I could tell.

He blinked and looked down at me. He looked scary for a moment, that I shivered. His expression softened, but the focused look in his eyes didn't go away. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "We're going to go back to the family. Be very quiet," he said.

I felt my lip tremble. Even I could guess that danger must be around the corner. It was one of the things Edward and Esme had talked to me about, after they'd "given me time to deal" with the fact that they were vampires. They said that if we were out somewhere, and one of them sensed danger, I should be very quiet, stick to the family, and follow instructions.

But I nodded my head, and buried my head in Jasper's chest while he cradled me and ran all the way back to the family. He slowed down to human speed once we broke through the woodland. The family had already packed the things-Emmett was nowhere to be seen. Edward held out his arms for me the moment Jasper reached them and he complied. I whimpered and clung onto Edward, while he rubbed my back, soothing me.

"How long?" Jasper asked Alice.

She wasn't looking at him, or at any one of us. She didn't even look as if she was paying attention. But she replied, anyway. "A few minutes. We won't make it out in time-they've already caught our scent," she murmured.

Edward's grip around me tightened.

"But they're…They want to talk," Alice said, raising an eyebrow as she finally turned to look at us. "They're vegetarians."

Edward sighed out loud, then smiled down at me. "It's alright, Bella," he told me.

Carlisle spoke up. "Why don't we head back," he suggested in his authoritative tone. "If they are vegetarians, then they mean us no harm. I don't think out in the open like this is any way to meet new friends."

Rosalie scoffed, but Carlisle ignored her. He turned to Alice, raised an eyebrow and waited patiently.

After a moment, Alice opened her eyes and nodded her head, smiling. "It'll work. They'll follow us," she announced.

I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a good thing or not, but the others seemed content enough with this.

Edward refused to put me down though, and carried me all the way to where his Volvo was parked.

******************************************************************************

When we arrived home, Alice whisked me upstairs to change clothes. She said that being covered in mud and dirt wasn't a good way to meet friends. She didn't take as long as she usually did on my outfit or my hair, though, and I supposed this was because _friends _were on the way. But in her vampire speed, she didn't need all that long. She dressed me in a pink knee-length dress with bows all over it, and let down my hair.

For the life of me, I just couldn't understand her need to dress me up five different times every single day.

She picked me up with one hand and rushed me down the stairs before I even had the chance to gasp. She put me down and Edward immediately stood partially in front of me, as if he wanted to block me from the people visiting. The front door was already open, Carlisle standing in front of it.

I heard a 'whoosh' sound, then Carlisle stepping back to let in a couple and their son. He looked to be about ten years old. All three of them were pale white, and as they approached, I could see their golden eyes.

"I'm Hailey," the woman said, smiling at us. "This is my husband, Matt. And our son, Connor."

They seemed so…Normal. I suppose that was to be expected, since the Cullens were normal, too. I just didn't know why the others were so anxious in the beginning. Maybe they thought Hailey, Matt and Connor drank human blood.

"I'm Carlisle," Carlisle stepped forward, hand extended. Matt took it first, smiling widely. "This is my family. My wife, Esme," he nodded at her. "My children-Emmett and Rosalie, Edward and Bella, Alice and Jasper."

While Hailey and Matt smiled at the rest, Connor's eyes never left mine. He raised an eyebrow. "Is she human?" he asked, his question directed to everyone in the room. He was still looking at me.

"Yes, she is," Carlisle responded. I felt Edward stiffening in front of me. "But she is very much a part of this family."

Connor didn't respond for a moment. "Why don't you change her?"

"She's too young," came Edward's quick, stiff reply.

Connor shot him a look before seeking my gaze yet again. "I'm ten," he announced unnecessarily.

Hailey and Matt must have sensed the family's discomfort at speaking about this. I was mainly confused. Change me? I'd have to ask Edward later…

"Now, now, Connor, let's not be rude," Hailey laughed, placing a hand on Connor's shoulder.

I didn't find Connor rude. I thought he seemed nice, though we haven't actually talked to each other. He didn't look mean or anything. He just looked at me, like he'd never seen another kid before.

"How about we sit down, and have a little chat?" Esme suggested, walking over to take her place beside Carlisle.

"Sounds like a good idea," Matt replied, smiling.

"Sounds boring," Connor muttered, loud enough so I could hear. I giggled. He smiled at me. "Want to go play with the grown-ups talk?" he asked, his golden eyes lighting up.

I thought, then nodded my head. "Okay."

Edward held me back by the arm and I looked up at him, confused. I thought you were supposed to be nice to people when they visit you at home?

"Oh, it's alright," Hailey interrupted. "Connor's just excited to see a human girl."

Edward stared at Connor for a long moment, reading his mind, I'm guessing, before letting go of my arm. "Stay close, Bella," he told me.

I nodded my head and stepped around his legs. Connor held out a hand, which I took. Maybe vampires don't have cooties. "Let's go play in my room," I suggested. I couldn't wait for him to see Lilly.

******************************************************************************

Connor and I played video games. The other toys were too girly for him. But it was okay-Emmett and Jasper taught me how to play, so I was basically winning.

While we played, and I won, Connor and I talked. His parents were changed a few months after he was born. Connor was raised by an uncle until he was ten. Near his eleventh birthday, Connor's uncle died. He had no other relatives so his parents took him and changed him, because they didn't want him to go into foster care. They had been watching over him all the while.

He had been frozen at ten for fifteen years now, and had learnt self-control long enough to be able to finally come out in public, be in the same place as other people.

"I go to school here, you know?" he stated proudly.

As it turned out, Connor and I would be in the same school. Just different grades.

I told Connor about my story-how the Cullens found me, how they decided to keep me since I'd go into foster care if they didn't. Our stories were somewhat similar.

Connor wanted to know why the Cullens didn't change me, turn me into a vampire like them.

I didn't even know such a thing was possible. To be honest, I hadn't given much thought to how vampires existed. I just assumed they…Existed. Just like that. I knew the Cullens had human lives before they were vampires. I just never questioned it.

I really needed to talk to Edward about this.

Finally, after I'd beaten him four times, he sighed and put down the controller. He glanced at Lilly who was curled up in my lap. "I can't believe you have a cat in a house full of vampires," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "They can't eat Lilly," I said. "And neither can you," I poked him with the controller once with each word.

He laughed again. "I promise I won't," he nodded solemnly, his blonde curls bouncing up and down as he did so.

Then he glanced towards the door and sighed again. "My parents said it's time to go home," he said, smiling at me ruefully. "But I'll see you in school, right?"

His voice was hopeful and it made me smile. I nodded my head, and stood up with him. "Yeah," I replied.

Connor made to move towards the door, but he stopped, came back to me and hugged me. "You smell really nice," he stated. I raised an eyebrow, but he only shrugged, and waved as he left.

Well, at least I'd have one friend at school on Monday.

******************************************************************************

_Carlisle's POV_

We had rushed back home from the park, Bella in the backseat of Edward's Volvo, Rosalie and Esme on either side of her, worrying.

I couldn't blame them. Being protective over Bella came naturally. Alice's visions had shown her that these vampires were vegetarians, like us, so I forced myself to calm down, even just a little. Fear and worry must be killing Jasper at the moment.

I heard them approaching, and went to open the door. I sensed Alice and Bella had joined the others, and trusted Edward to keep Bella safe.

A moment later, a couple appeared. What surprised me was the boy that was in front of them. He looked to be about ten. And he was one of our kind.

I smiled at them, and led them in. Hailey, the woman, introduced herself, her husband Matt and their son Connor. I studied him. He had Hailey's blonde curls, but his face was the mini-replica of Matt. This was their biological son, if I'm not mistaken.

I introduced myself and my family, and Esme suggested we sit down to talk. I suppose there really was a lot to discuss. Their eyes were golden, like ours. Not a speck of red, even from Connor. I wasn't extremely worried, but my centuries of experience taught me to be cautious at the very least.

Connor invited Bella to play, and instantly everyone stiffened up. But no one looked as angry and wary as Edward. Hailey interrupted to say that Connor really just wanted to play, not make her his meal.

Edward reluctantly let her go.

I heard them go up to her room to play with her huge array of toys.

I gestured to the couch, and Hailey and Matt complied. I took the armchair, Esme sitting on the arm of the chair. Edward, Alice and Jasper took the couch, while Rose and Emmett took the recliner Emmett had insisted on buying for God only knows what reason. Hailey and Matt took the loveseat.

They told us about their change-how they'd been changed a few months after Connor was born, and how they'd changed Connor himself after his guardian died.

Hailey and Matt lived in Northampton as well. But their town home was a few miles north of ours. Connor was attending the same school Bella was registered in.

They had been here for three years, so far, and would be moving to Scotland in a few years to keep up appearances. It was especially vital for them since they'd changed Connor so young. He could only deceive people until age twelve. Beyond that was too conspicuous.

We told them about Bella going to school in the same place as Connor, and told them about the children. They seemed like nice enough people, and I wasn't overly anxious by the time we had exchanged our histories.

By the time they were done, it was already nighttime and it was pouring cats and dogs outside. Esme politely invited them to stay, which they equally politely refused. They called out to Connor, to tell him they were leaving. I heard him say goodbye to Bella.

"_But I'll see you in school, right_?"

"_Yeah_."

I smiled to myself. The two seemed to have forged a friendship in the past few hours. I hadn't exactly been paying much attention to their conversation, but I knew Edward had. I also knew Edward didn't approve of this, from the look on his face.

Connor appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a smile on his face. "Come on, mum, dad," he said. "Let's head home."

Hailey, Matt and Connor waved us goodbye as they left.

I turned to look at my family after I'd closed the door.

"They didn't seem too bad," Emmett commented.

Edward shot him a look, growled and shook his head. "That dimwitted son of theirs told Bella about changing, about turning into one of us," he said disgustedly. Oh, dear. We haven't exactly told Bella that. We didn't want to scare her too much with all the information. The less she knew, the safer she was.

"He asked her why we didn't change her," he growled.

The others were surprised by this, but we kept out mouths shut. I suddenly remembered Alice's visions, but I started naming all the bones in the human anatomy to keep my thoughts from him. I only hoped the others were blocking their minds as well if they'd thought of the visions.

Edward stopped pacing to look at us. "Why are all of you suddenly blocking your minds?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.

No one replied to this.

Edward's hands curled into fists as he fought the frustration building up in him. Before he could speak, or anyone-namely Emmett-could spill the beans, I interrupted. "Why don't you go check on Bella and tuck her in, Edward?" I asked quickly. "Make sure she's alright with Connor, and his parents being around."

He looked as if he was about to argue, but nodded his head anyway. As he ascended the stairs, I thought I heard him mutter something about this not being over.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I was nervous. I knew Bella would have questions for me, but I didn't know if I could answer them. I didn't know if I wanted to.

I took a deep breath and went inside her room anyway. Bella was already in her pajamas, trying to coax Lilly to climb onto her cat bed. "Hey," I greeted her.

Bella turned around and smiled at me. "Are they gone?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

I nodded my head, gesturing with my hand for Bella to climb onto her bed. She was still too little and too short to climb on the bed on her own. Thanks to Alice and her crazy need for overdoing things when shopping. I reached down to lift her and placed her in bed.

She slid under the covers, but sat up and stared at me. I knew what was coming, so I sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting.

"Are you going to change me?" she asked.

I would have choked if I was able to. How could she ask that? And so bluntly? So obliviously? Did she even realize what she was asking? To spend eternity in darkness? To drink blood? To kill? She would be a monster.

No matter how often she said otherwise, I knew it was true. I was a monster. I killed people. I murdered them in cold-blood, because I wanted to survive. Because I wanted it.

It took a decade for me to get to my senses, and even though Carlisle and Esme took me back, I was never the same. I remembered the people, their faces, their lifeless, drained bodies. I remembered how it felt. I'd liked draining them. I'd wanted it.

Was this what Bella wanted? To spend eternity that way?

A selfish part of me wondered if that were such a bad thing. I could let her grow up a little more, spend more time as a human, experience life and light. Then I could take her. Change her into one of us. Would that be so bad? To have eternity with her near me? I was already protective over her. Like Bella said, we were best friends. And the entire family loved her. She meant something important to each and every one of us. Would it really be so horrible to have her with us forever? She was already a part of the family.

But no. I couldn't do that. Bella didn't really understand what she was asking of me. She didn't fully understand that being a vampire meant being a killer. She didn't grasp that. I knew. She was only seven years old. Seven year olds don't understand the magnitude of a matter this serious.

I shook my head. "No, Bella," I said firmly.

Her bottom lip quivered. "Why not?" she demanded, her eyes growing wide.

"Because," I said. "It's just not going to happen."

"I'm human! I'll grow old and die!" she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears. "And I won't be able to follow you anymore if I grow old…Will you leave me?"

My dead heart just about shattered to a million pieces. She was right. When she grew older, we'd have to abandon her. Not just that, but at some point in her life, she'd have to date. Marry some man. Have a life with that man, have children. She would have to say goodbye to us, and stay permanently in one place with him.

Could I let that happen? Could I let her go? Could I allow her to slip away from me, from us?

No, I couldn't. I'd fight to the end for it not to happen.

But that was how it was supposed to be. Bella's supposed to grow older, date, have a career, marry, have children. And eventually, die. She was supposed to have a full life.

Not being immersed in darkness for eternity.

But this was a discussion for the future. She was too young, too innocent, for me to tell her everything. I needed her to keep her innocence for as long as possible. I didn't want to take it away from her.

She was too pure for that.

"No, Bella," I said again. "I will never leave you."

"Promise me?" she asked, grasping my cold hands with her warm ones.

"I promise."

At least this was one promise I could keep. Even if she left, or we left, I'd never be able to truly keep my distance. I'd always be around to watch her, protect her.

"Sleep, Bella," I said. She opened her mouth to argue but I shook my head. "We'll discuss this another time, when you're older. Now is just not the right time."

She looked like she would argue, her eyes blazing with the need to know the truth, to know everything.

"Please, Bella?" I pleaded softly.

She sighed, and slid down further in bed, resting her head on the pillow.

I smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward."

I heard her bidding goodnight to the cat as I went out of the room. I shut the door behind me and sighed, closing my eyes, leaning against the closed door.

The issue had been averted for now. But what was I going to do when she asked me again in the future?

A better question would be what the others were so desperately keeping from me.

______________________________________________________________________________

_I WATCHED TWILIGHT!!! I WATCHED TWILIGHT!!! I WATCHED TWILIGHT!!!_

_Oh, what?? Like you weren't all looking for it illegally on the web, whether you've seen it already or not. I think it wasn't nearly as good as the book, but most movies based on novels aren't. There were a lot of differences. But I loved the Cullen kitchen scene. Emmett was so funny, as was Rosalie when she found out Bella already ate…Of course then she got all bitchy Rosalie, the one that not a lot of us liked…And Edward was SO not supposed to react like that when he caught a whiff of Bella's scent. Though it was funny. And the bedroom scene?? I'd have preferred it to be like the movie. And no Alice and Jasper. Not much at least. I wanted more of their interactions in the hotel room and all that. We had like two and a half minutes or so of their time together with Bella. How is that fair?? Though you have to admit, dancing spontaneously in the cafeteria with Jasper while walking is SO Alice._

_Quotes were great. Funny._

_Anyway, back to this story. I promise the next chapter is Bella's Week With the Cullen Boys, the one after that is Denali Surprise._

_To Maeve Hale, thank you. You don't know how much it means to me every time someone says that. Which isn't a lot at all, but…Thanks!_

_Emma Cullen.x, Bella will be attending primary school, as you know. Edward and Alice will be in secondary 3, while Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie will be in secondary 4. I know it's a little strange, but in the book they said that the Cullens came to town a few years before Bella, so Edward and Alice must have started our freshman year, right?? I think it fits. And after that they'll go to college for two years, then they take a break because they'll go to college in Alaska when Bella's around twelve, before moving to Forks._

_Please review. Tell me what you think, yeah?? Thanks._

_P.S. I kept doing research and decided that the Cullens should move to Northampton. Thank you to IfLostPleaseReturnToMe, for suggesting it. And others who suggested different places. I'd just like to say, after living in sunny climate for the past seventeen years of my life, I'd really LOVE to live in England…_


	15. Bella's Week Alone With the Cullen Boys

_**A/N: **__I promise girl bonding time, but I think it'll go better when Bella's slightly older. But now, enjoy Bella and the boys-a whole week during the holidays, all alone at home…MAYHEM, you say??_

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Alice, Edward, Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Esme, (yes, all of them…this is going to be a LONG chapter…I apologize if you're not fond of that)_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Monday_

_Alice's POV_

Today is just the beginning of the most beautiful journey of my existence-Rose, Esme and I were heading to Canada, to the largest mall in America, the West Edmonton Mall.

I couldn't believe it. Well, yes, I can, I booked the tickets, but that's hardly the point! They have over eight hundred stores there! Oh, God! How wonderful was this? And not only were we going, we were _staying _there for a week! This was the best thing _ever_!

Too bad Bella didn't want to come. She'd signed up for ballerina camp, together with her cute friend from school, Rebecca. I honestly don't see her doing ballet very long, but she'd been hard to sway. I wondered what her aversion to shopping was…Oh, well, the girl was young. Give her time. Just a few years with Alice Cullen and she'll love shopping as much as I do.

I looked down at my bag. I was carrying a purse only. Why bother bringing things when I was going to buy everything in plain sight? It didn't make sense.

I heard a knock at my door and turned around to find Rose grinning at me, her own Hermes bag slung over her shoulder. "Ready, sis?" she asked, her voice teasing. I had only been screaming about this trip since I decided we should go-that was three months ago.

We had a one month long holiday, right smack in the middle of the year. Where better to spend a vacation than in the biggest mall in America? I missed American land, so this really was perfect.

I grabbed my purse and followed Rose out the door. We met Esme in the hallway, equally excited. When we reached the living room, Bella was sitting on the couch, a slightly bigger Lilly sprawled beside her.

I approached her and her eyes widened in fear. "Don't you want to come, Bella?" I pouted.

"No!" she screamed, jumping off the couch and hurrying towards Edward. She hid behind him, clutching at his legs as if she was hanging on for dear life. I frowned, but Edward merely laughed. "Come on, Alice. What you view as one of the best pleasures in life, she views as torture," he teased. "Let it go."

I scowled, but couldn't help the amusement I felt at Bella's automatic response to, I hated to admit it, danger. She clung to Edward, literally looked at him as her protector. And he was just wrapped around her finger. It was purely a miracle that we'd managed to keep my visions a secret from Edward for months now. It was just a few months to a year since I'd had those visions…Emmett came very close to slipping, but I always saw it before hand and Rose was _very _good at making him forget about everything.

My eyes looked around until I saw Edward. I hoped he hadn't read my mind. It was going to be hard to explain. But he wasn't paying attention to me. He was crouching down in front of Bella, as they whispered to each other about watching Peter Pan again. He was desperately trying to convince her not to.

"Aw, come on, _Eddie_," I taunted him. Edward shot a glare at me over his shoulders but I ignored it. "What you view as torture, she views as one of the best pleasures in life. Let it go."

I giggled when Edward growled at me, eyes flashing.

"Alright, alright," Esme interrupted before our sibling banter could reach a new height. "You have our numbers, correct?" she asked, looking at Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle in the eyes sternly, one by one. They all nodded their heads, too wimpy to disobey Esme.

Esme whipped around to look at me. "Did you get any visions of this week?" she asked me. I groaned internally. She knew I would tell her if I saw anything horrible happening to Bella. Right now I wanted nothing more to get on that plane and be on my way to Canada.

I shook my head. "Everything will be fine, Esme," I said, starting to bounce around again. "Come on, girls. Let's go to Canada!" I started squealing. I couldn't help it. After months of anticipation, the day has finally come!

I was just so excited!

"Have fun, Alice," Jasper smiled, coming forward to wrap his arms around my waist. My excitement dulled a little as I looked into his warm amber eyes. My Jasper…I sighed and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. How I'd miss him. A whole week. I'd seen all the good parts of the trip-but not seeing Jasper for an entire week? Torture.

I pulled back, my eyes lighting up. I opened my mouth to speak, but Jasper shook his head, cutting my off. "I'm not coming with you to shop, Alice," he said firmly. I pouted, and he chuckled. "Besides, it's our time to bond with Bella, remember?"

I giggled, and crashed my lips to his once more before dragging Rose and Esme from Emmett's and Carlisle's respective embraces.

Biggest mall in America, here I come!

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

The moment Alice, Rose and Esme left, the four of us rounded on Bella. She stared up at us, her wide eyes full of amusement. She knew we had absolutely no idea what to do, or how to entertain her, and she was just waiting to see what we'd come up with.

A few moments passed in silence. I switched from looking at Bella, to shooting panicked looks at my brothers and father, and back to looking at Bella.

My brothers and Carlisle did the same.

Finally, unable to take it, Bella burst into laughter, her ivory face flushed a deep scarlet color. I waited for her to stop, but she only laughed harder. I glanced at Jasper in amusement, and he rolled his eyes, smiling, and used his gift to calm her down.

Bella had tears running down the sides of her face when she was done, and she was sitting up on the floor. Emmett bent down scooped her up and straightened up. "Alright, now that _that's _over," he said sarcastically. "What do you want to do, squirt?"

She scrunched her nose in the way we all knew meant she was thinking something over thoroughly. It was endearing and hilarious at the same time to see her take a small question like this so seriously. Then her eyes lit up and a huge smile graced her features. "Let's play Pocahontas!" she said excitedly.

Bella ended up playing Pocahontas, I was Captain John Smith, Jasper was Governor Ratcliffe, and Emmett played every single other character in the movie. Including Grandmother Willow. This threw Bella in hysterics, and thanks to Jasper's gift and Emmett being Emmett, it didn't take long for us to follow.

We re-enacted the entire movie, which took four hours for us, considering Emmett's need to add certain scenes, and Bella playing hide and seek in the middle of Pocahontas and John's secret rendezvous.

Finally, it was three o'clock in the afternoon. Bella collapsed on the couch, yawning, and Lilly-deciding it was finally safe to come out after all the crazy nonsense that had been going on in the past few hours-curled up in her lap and licked her paw.

The phone rang and I grabbed it, quickly going over to sit by Bella to check if she needed anything. "Cullen residence," I said into the phone.

"Hi. This is Connor," said the voice on the other line. Emmett and Jasper were immediately sitting on the couch, looking on interestedly. Bella, who couldn't hear the conversation, was merely trying not to sleep on the couch.

"Hello," I said tersely.

Connor either didn't catch my curt tone, or he didn't care. Both didn't go well with me.

I could sense Jasper sending me calming waves, but it had absolutely no effect on me. This Connor was not only a vampire, he was also someone who had planted the idea of becoming a vampire into Bella's head. How dare he call here? What did he want?

"Is Bella there? I wanted to talk to her," Connor continued.

I hesitated. Should I really give the phone to Bella? She had mentioned being friends with Connor in school-it had helped her since she didn't know anyone in school when she started, and Connor had helped her out. He had shown her classes, introduced her to some friends, that sort of thing. But six months had passed. Wasn't that long enough for him to disappear?

Bella caught the look on my face-somewhere between disgust and horror-and placed a gentle hand on my arm. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

I sighed. It wasn't fair of me to keep her from talking to a friend. No matter how much I detested said friend. Besides, they weren't especially close. I knew that. And it would only be a year or two before Connor had to move. Who knew? We probably would never hear from him again. And Bella would continue to grow older, and would have no interest in spending time with him whatsoever when that happens.

"It's Connor," I said. I hated the way her eyes lit up at that. "He wants to talk to you."

Bella held out her hand for the phone and I reluctantly gave it to her. "Connor?" she said into the phone. "Yeah, it's me. No…I don't have anything going on. Well, I have ballet camp on Wednesday…Becca wanted me to go with her. I'm not sure I want to, but I can't break my promise. Tomorrow? I don't know, I have to ask Carlisle. Hold on," she placed a hand over the mouthpiece and looked around. Carlisle had played the role of the Chief of the village in our little game, and he had gone to take the ridiculous headdress Emmett had made for him to wear.

"Carlisle?" she called out in a normal tone, as if he was sitting right next to her. He was by her side in an instant.

"Yes, Bella?" he smiled at her, taking a seat on her other side.

"Could Connor come play with us tomorrow?" she asked sweetly. I groaned internally. She was using that voice-the 'daddy's girl' voice that would get Carlisle to give her anything and everything she wanted. For a seven year old girl, she knew exactly how to push everyone's buttons.

I could already hear his thoughts, giving in to her. I scowled. He knew how I hated Connor. And he was a vampire, for God's sake. Vegetarian or not, it was dangerous!

"Please, daddy?" she batted her lashes. Uh-oh. She never called Carlisle 'daddy' unless she wanted something.

I heard Emmett and Jasper holding in their laughter while Carlisle sighed and said, "Fine, Bella. He could come tomorrow."

"It'll rain tomorrow," I said abruptly. I was grasping at straws, and I knew it. But I didn't care.

Bella shot me a look. "He'll play in the house, silly," she laughed, and uncovered the mouthpiece to tell Connor the good news. He, being a vampire, had already heard it, of course.

Emmett and Jasper tried to cook Bella some food-she told them to make sausages. But the ended up burning everything, and setting fire to the kitchen counter. After half an hour of extinguishing the fire (it only took less than a minute, but Emmett started a war using the fire extinguisher, spraying it all over at everyone), I finally decided to order the pizza.

Emmett took Bella upstairs to get her out of her makeshift Pocahontas dress (one of Alice's dresses cut in several different places) and into some normal clothes.

Carlisle picked up a book to read, and I started to play on the piano. We should really enjoy the quiet times before Emmett and Bella decide on doing something as crazy as Pocahontas role playing again.

"Jasper, get up here, get up here!" Bella screamed. I started, alarmed, and Jasper ran up the stairs so fast it was hard for even me to catch it. I started to move upstairs as well, but I heard Emmett's thoughts and chuckled, shaking my head at Carlisle to tell him he needn't worry.

Jasper would not be happy.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I was setting up for another video game challenge. Emmett loved the challenge and Bella loved to watch. It was, admittedly, hilarious to see the reactions from him. I never found my reactions funny, though Bella did.

Then I heard it. Bella screaming for me. I dropped the controller in my hand and dashed up the stairs. I would have thought she'd call for Edward if she needed help, but me? To make it even weirder, Edward hadn't come rushing up the stairs with me.

I burst into Bella's room, half crazed. "Bella!" I shouted. "What is it? Are you hurt? Did you fall? Did Emmett crush you?" I looked around the room until I found Bella and Emmett sitting on the floor in her play area.

They both looked at me amusedly. "I resent that," Emmett said teasingly.

I scowled at him. "What is it, Bella?" I asked, walking over to where they sat. I saw the toys lined up in front of both of them, as they sat opposite one another.

Bella grinned up at me mischievously. "We wanna show you something, Jazz," she said deviously.

I should know better by now-if it involved Emmett and Bella, and Bella was looking like that, walk away. The safest option possible. But she was giving me that puppy dog look and I melted. So I sighed and sat down opposite them both, facing them.

Emmett and Bella turned toward each other, and with a knowing smile, they begun their little play.

"Union Leaders, attack!" Bella squealed, using both her hands to make her toys move forward, and beat the soft toys in front of Emmett.

"Confederates!" Emmett's voice boomed. "We have to counter-attack them. They're evil and hence need to be destroyed!"

I watched in awe and disgust, as they continued to duel using the soft toys, a re-enactment of the Civil War, Emmett and Bella style.

"No, you die, _you die_!" Bella shrieked, holding a purple elephant and beating away the unicorn plush toy Emmett was holding to her face.

"We're going to win, so you die!" Emmett yelled back, sweeping away half the 'Confederate army' with his big hand.

"Oh, no," Bella gasped, a hand to her chest. "What do we do? Half our men are down!"

"Surrender now, or you'll regret it!" Emmett said, still pointing the unicorn at Bella.

"Never!" she squealed, the purple elephant still in hand.

I took in a ragged breath. "Are. You. Joking?" I asked them slowly. They were mocking my days in the army! Of course, Bella probably didn't know any better. This was all Emmett! I growled at him, but he merely grinned back at me.

"Of course, not, Jasper," he chuckled. "Sit, enjoy, we haven't gotten to the good part yet."

And with that, he snatched the purple elephant from Bella's hand and, using his strength of course, poked the unicorn's horn through it.

"We're dead…" Bella groaned playfully.

I stared at them for another second, wondering what crazy dimension I had stumbled into, then stood up, glared at them both, and stalked off.

"Lunatics," I muttered under my breath.

All I got in response were four very amused people laughing hysterically.

******************************************************************************

After their little stunt, Bella had fallen asleep. I never truly realized how many naps children take. But that had probably more to do with the fact that we wore her out playing games.

We knew she'd wake up after a few hours, hungry for dinner. So we crowded in the kitchen, Carlisle included, to cook her something. Too bad we didn't know what to make her. Usually, Esme cooked for Bella.

We had spent the past half an hour brainstorming on what she might want for breakfast. Among the ideas were pancakes ("_Dinner_, Emmett, not breakfast!"), soup ("Like that could sustain her."), and gingerbread men ("Where did you even get that idea…?").

Emmett still thought we should wake her up to ask her what she wanted.

Edward thought she needed the sleep.

_I _thought they all needed to calm down because their anxiety and worry were driving me crazy.

Edward snorted. "You think you have it bad," he shook his head. "Emmett has been repeating 'she's going to starve, Rose will kill me' in his head for the past thirty minutes."

I laughed, but Emmett merely scowled.

"Maybe we should make her some pasta," Carlisle suggested. "She seemed to like that when Esme made it for her, right?"

"Does she even like Italian?" I wondered.

Emmett shrugged. "Well, her name _is _'Bella'…"

After _that _convincing argument, he says sarcastically, we got to work. Emmett got the cheese, Edward got the meat (the last time Emmett handled meat, he ended up cajoling us into a food fight…Esme wasn't very pleased with that), Carlisle got the pasta, and I got the cook book.

We only knew what was needed, but beyond that, we were clueless. Maybe we should start watching the Food Network more often…

After three tries, and Emmett throwing a knife through the wall in frustration, successfully breaking through the plaster, we finally made something that resembled pasta. We couldn't actually tell if it tasted good since even if we had the guts to taste it, it would only be repulsive to us.

"What are you doing?"

All four of us turned around from the pot of pasta to look at Bella, still in the pajamas she had put on for her nap. She was looking curiously at us, crowding around the stove.

I smiled brightly at her. "We made you dinner!"

Bella raised an eyebrow incredulously. "How?" was the only word she managed to sputter out.

I felt like laughing at her incredulity. It was true-none of us Cullens had been able to cook for her except for Esme. She loved doing this, it made her feel more motherly. Rosalie mainly obsess about how much Bella should eat, how healthy she should eat, that sort of thing.

"We followed instructions," I waved the cook book in the air. Bella narrowed her eyes, and I sensed the anxiety rolling off of her in waves. She was worried about our cooking.

Truthfully? She had reason to be worried.

Edward took her hand and led her towards the dining room. "Come on, Bella," he said cheerfully. Edward? Cheerful? I shook my head. How strange. "Emmett will get you a plate of pasta, we'll go settle down in the dining room."

"Will he also get me juice?" I heard her ask hopefully, and laughed.

Once we had brought out her plate of pasta and glass of juice (she refused to eat until she had her juice), Bella begun to eat. At first she crinkled her nose, but with every bite, I could sense the delight growing stronger.

"So do you like it?" I asked, smiling.

Bella nodded her head enthusiastically. "I love chicken!" she announced, before eating more of the pasta.

I stifled a chuckle and exchanged looks with my brothers and Carlisle.

There was no need to tell Bella that it was mutton, not chicken.

******************************************************************************

_Tuesday_

_Bella's POV_

I was so excited. Not only was Alice out of the house-as much as I loved her, I was beginning to feel sick every morning when she came in to dress me up. School days were so much better because I had to wear a uniform to school-I was leaving for ballet camp with Rebecca tomorrow.

I would miss everyone terribly, but it would only be a week. Edward already promised to let me borrow his cell phone so that I could call him every day. He'd told me to call more than once a day if I felt like it, if I missed him a lot. I had no doubt that I would.

But Rebecca was really excited about going to ballet camp. And she was my best friend in the entire world. Asides from Edward. And Alice. And Connor, I think. Why was it that three of my best friends were vampires?

I sighed, shaking my head as I made my way slowly downstairs. I didn't need to stumble the first thing in the morning today. I would do plenty of that throughout the day.

Connor only had a year or two left before he had to move someplace else. It was part of the charade, part of the life he had to live. I think I would miss him when he's gone, but we could always call each other, and e-mail.

Edward said that once I grew older, I wouldn't want to spend so much time with Connor anymore because he was only ten, physically. He said I would want to spend time with people who look more my age.

I didn't know if that was true, but I hoped not. Connor was genuinely nice. And he didn't look at me funny the way his parents did sometimes. I think it was mostly because I was a human, living in a house full of vampires. I heard them saying once that my knowing the Cullens were vampires made it all the more strange since I didn't go screaming out the back door.

Was it so odd for me to want to stay with the people I loved?

When I got to the living room, no one was there. The same went for the piano room, and the conservatory. "Where is everyone?" I muttered to myself.

"Dining room!" I heard Emmett's loud voice. I jumped, startled, and heard three beautiful laughter, like a symphony, a moment later.

I rolled my eyes. Stupid vampire hearing. They probably heard my heart beating faster.

I forced myself to calm down and walked into the dining room. The table was full of breakfast foods, from pancakes to waffles, to Pop Tarts. I raised an eyebrow at Edward, Emmett and Jasper, and sat in my usual chair. They tended to go overboard on occasion.

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked, reaching for the waffles.

Edward poured me a glass of juice, and a glass of milk. Rosalie probably told him I needed both juice and milk for breakfast. I didn't really, she just read it somewhere and wouldn't let it go ever since. "He had to go to the hospital early. There was an accident involving two buses. They needed him there," he told me.

I nodded my head, frowning at the news. It was horrible to hear about people getting hurt. Two buses? That must have been awful, that many people getting sick.

I smiled as I thought of Carlisle, the man-the vampire-I'd gotten accustomed to as a father. He was really special, in a way that he was completely desensitized to blood. Edward said it was because he'd spent centuries practicing. He had always been interested in medicine, and being a doctor meant he could help people. It also helped to control his blood lust.

He was a really good person, and a good father. I saw the way the other Cullen kids looked up to him. Even Rosalie, the stubborn one, wouldn't dare disobey him. And he wasn't one to throw a temper or anything. His authority was just evident.

I was really lucky that it was Edward and Carlisle who found me.

Before I'd even finished my waffles, the doorbell rang. Edward growled, and I looked at him strangely. "What's wrong, Edward?"

He only clenched his jaw. I knew the only reason he did that was because he was angry, really angry. But why?

Emmett stood up from the table. "I'll go answer the door," he offered. Neither Edward nor Jasper objected, so he left the room.

I wondered what Edward was so uptight about. He has yet to answer my question and from the looks of it, he wasn't going to.

My question was answered anyway when Connor walked into the room.

His eyes met mine and we both smiled. Hailey walked in next, her golden eyes appraising me. I knew she wasn't as fond of me as Connor was. It wasn't that she disapproved. She was civil towards me, nice even. But she just didn't understand it. A human living with vampires.

But she let me play with Connor, though, so I was alright with it.

"Good morning, Bella," Connor said, his English voice clear and strong. It always made me laugh, though, even now. It was hard enough for me to understand what he or any of my English friends said sometimes. I always misunderstood them, being me and all.

"Good morning, Connor, Hailey," I smiled.

Hailey smiled back at me, and then turned to Emmett. "I just wanted to stop by for a little while. It's been a long time since we'd seen each other," she said, addressing Emmett alone.

Emmett shifted slightly, and I fought hard not to laugh. Hailey had a crush on Emmett. This didn't go unnoticed by both Rosalie and Matt. Both of whom weren't entirely pleased by it. Every time Hailey came around, Rosalie would drape herself all over Emmett. She called it 'protecting her territory'.

Matt didn't even come by anymore though Alice said he didn't have any particular animosity towards our family.

"Yes, well," Emmett cleared his throat and moved back towards the table, to take his seat safely between Edward and Jasper.

Connor rolled his eyes. Apparently, he knew it too. "I'll be fine, mum," he said loudly, interrupting Hailey who had her golden eyes trained on Emmett. "I will be home later on today."

With a sigh, Hailey left. Jasper was the one to see her out the door.

I exchanged a look with Edward, then buried myself in the pancakes, stuffing them into my mouth. If I didn't, I'd only burst out laughing, and I didn't want to offend Connor.

Connor sighed, and took a seat next to me. "You can laugh," he told me glumly. "My mother has always been a little odd when it comes to male vampires. We met one while vacationing in China once, and she almost jumped him."

"Jumped what?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

Connor cracked a grin. "Sorry, Bella. Almost forgot you're only seven."

I rolled my eyes at him. Just because I was seven didn't mean I was stupid. If he'd only just explained it to me…

"So what are we going to do today?" Connor asked, his expression going from glum to excited in a matter of seconds. I smiled back at him. I knew he was excited to act like a kid for once. He hadn't done that in a long time. He had been controlling his blood lust for fifteen years or so, and when he finally went to school, he mostly avoided the humans.

So hanging around me, playing here with Emmett, Jasper and, sometimes, Edward, it was a lot of fun for him.

I shrugged. "I thought we could just play some games. Like we did yesterday," I turned to the Cullen boys.

Edward shook his head immediately. "I'm not playing Pocahontas again," he grimaced at the memory. I giggled. It had been too much fun, to torture them like that.

Emmett suddenly grinned. Edward flinched, having read his mind, but Emmett ignored that. "If we don't play Pocahontas, how about we play Men In Black?" he suggested.

"Agent J!" Both Connor and I called out simultaneously.

******************************************************************************

Static cackled as Connor's voice floated from the walkie-talkie in my hand. "Agent B, are you there? Over."

I smirked. After much argument about who was going to be Agent J-you have to admit, he's the coolest!-Jasper had settled it by saying that we should be Agent B. and Agent C. It sounded stupid, but as long as we got to play instead of argue already, both Connor and I agreed.

Edward, Jasper and Emmett were the monsters, and they were hiding around the house. We had no idea where, but we were supposed to find them. Connor had already found Jasper and Emmett twice-after they were 'killed', they just came back as a different monster, since there were only three of them.

It wasn't fair since Connor was a vampire, and he could sense them, smell out their scent. I was merely looking around aimlessly.

But I was having fun nonetheless.

"Agent B. reporting," I said back into my walkie-talkie. "Have you found the aliens yet?"

I knew Edward, Jasper and Emmett could hear our conversation. They didn't even have to be near us for that, but it made it all the more fun anyway.

"No. But I think I caught sighting of Big Foot in the kitchen."

I stifled my laughter. We'd started calling Emmett Big Foot for the purpose of this game, just because he was so big.

I heard someone chuckle from behind me, but when I turned around, the space was empty. I glanced around. I was in my bedroom. I thought I saw Edward coming in here. And that laughter was definitely his…

I walked slowly around the room. I knew he could probably outrun me before I could even blink. But he was playing the game at a somewhat human pace just for me.

I opened the door to the wardrobe and screamed 'AHA!'

Edward started laughing so hard I thought he was going to drop on the floor, literally. "You caught me," he said once he finally managed to calm down.

I narrowed my eyes at him speculatively. I could make him into another monster…But I'd rather have him on my side, as the good guy.

So I smiled up at him, and said, "Want to help me find Jazz and Big Foot?"

He chuckled, more controlled this time, and nodded his head.

******************************************************************************

Connor had to leave around five. His eyes had gotten darker, and apparently, my scent wasn't helping. He kept shaking his head and muttering, "You just smell so good…"

Edward had practically kicked him out the door. I wanted to scream at him for doing that, but Connor had smiled ruefully at me. "It's alright, Bella. You forget what I am. I really do need to hunt. I'll speak to you soon."

I was still upset that Connor had to leave early, and Jasper, of course, sensed it. He suggested that we go to the park, though it was already late evening. I didn't mind it. The park was even better at night, because it was nicer, fresher. The air smelt better. The wind was gentle.

There wasn't much to do at the park because it was nighttime, but Edward found this rather secluded place. It was near the fountain, but it gave us privacy, covered by trees and tall bushes. There was a park bench there. Sometimes all of us head there, just to talk and be free.

So I said yes. Within minutes, we were speeding down in Edward's car, heading towards the park. We made a stop at a bistro near our house. I liked it there. There had about a thousand different sandwiches there.

We got to the park five minutes later, thanks to Edward's crazy driving. Edward was protective about his car. He never let anyone else drive it. Once Alice borrowed it without permission to go shopping while he was away hunting and he threw a fit when he found out.

We climbed out of the car and I immediately latched onto Edward's hand. We kept walking towards the secluded park bench. Then Emmett noticed the few ducks that were still in the pond. Edward must have noticed, too.

"Emmett, don't-"

But it was no use. He had already charged at the ducks, and with a triumphant yell, he had plucked out from the pond, and sank his teeth into its neck. Edward covered my eyes with both his hands, and turned me away from the scene. I wanted to see it-I found it a little unnerving, but hilarious.

When Emmett finally joined us, the dead duck clutched in his hand and invisible to any passer-by, Jasper smacked him on the head. His grin disappeared.

"What was that for?" he yelped.

"Bella's here, Emmett!" Edward growled.

He looked guiltily down at me. "Sorry, angel. I forgot…They just tasted nice, you know?"

I really don't.

Edward shook his head, irritated, and took hold of my hand once more, leading me towards the secluded park bench. I sat down and took out the sandwich, biting into it hungrily. I watched with curious eyes as Emmett discarded of the duck, Edward muttering angrily at him in vampire speed so I wouldn't be able to hear it.

"Sorry, Bella," Emmett said as soon as Edward was done. He came to sit next to me. "I didn't mean to traumatize you."

I snorted between bites. "You didn't traumatize me, Emmett," I assured him. "I was…Surprised. But it was funny to see you with the ducks."

Emmett's sad frown disappeared. Good. I hated it whenever he was sad. It was just so un-Emmett like. Every time I pictured Emmett, he had a big goofy smile on his face. It was just the way it was meant to be.

"You think it was funny, huh?" he jumped up from the bench, and before Edward or Jasper could stop him, he had run towards the pond and started chasing the ducks. I started laughing but Edward only shook his head.

He was being too maniacal, so Edward had to go chase him to make him stop. It was pretty silly watching a vampire chasing a vampire chasing ducks.

I was silent as I watched them, Emmett never backing down, Edward incensed.

But inside, I was thinking of Connor, and his change. He had hinted every single time I saw him how I should be changed. He'd said that my family were vampires. I didn't really have a chance of a normal life anymore.

The things that he said about being normal didn't stick with me.

What bothered me was knowing that if I stayed human, Edward would have to leave me. The Cullens would have to leave me. One day, I'd just be too old to be around them. I couldn't fit in, blend in, with their new façade. I'd just be extra burden to them.

This was my family we were talking about. They'd accepted me without question. They loved me, made me feel special. I would miss them all terribly. Alice, my best friend. Rose and Esme, my mothers. Carlisle, my father. Emmett, my partner in crime. Jasper, my buddy.

And Edward. I couldn't understand our relationship, not really. He was my best friend, but it felt like more. Every time he was hurt, I felt hurt, too. If he was sad, so was I. If he was excited or happy, I would be too.

So would I be able to handle it? One day, being without them? No, I wouldn't. I'd miss them all too much.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Jasper asked.

I jumped, startled. He had been too quiet, and I had been too immersed in my thoughts, that I'd forgotten he was sitting right next to me. And of course, he felt my emotions.

I blushed. "Nothing," I mumbled.

Jasper laughed. "You know better than to lie to me," he teased.

I looked away from him, biting my lip. Should I ask him? I couldn't ask Edward. Every time I tried he'd clam up. It was why he hated Connor so much. He didn't want me knowing about transformation, or getting interested in it. Connor suggested it, so he despised him for it.

Sometimes I wondered if the reason Edward didn't like the idea so much was because he hated the idea of spending eternity with me in his family. Was it so bad to have me around?

"Bella," Jasper groaned, obviously overwhelmed by my emotions.

I sighed, giving in. "I was just thinking…Of becoming one of you," I admitted. Jasper stiffened, but didn't say anything. Edward and Emmett were too far off in the distance, wrestling each other now, to hear me or notice Jasper's reaction.

"Connor said that it was painful," to which Jasper nodded. "But he also said that it was worth it. If I was changed, then I'd be with you guys forever. I won't have to leave."

Jasper shook his head. "It's a lot harder than that, Bella," he said softly. "You wouldn't be a normal girl anymore."

"I live with vampires," I pointed out.

He sighed, and shook his head again. "Maybe you should talk about this with Edward, Bella," he said. I groaned, crumpling the empty paper bag in my hand. I'd tried talking to Edward about this-he just never listened.

But I knew Jasper was uncomfortable with it, so I just shrugged dejectedly. "Okay."

Once again, he must have sensed that I was unhappy. "Bella…Being what we are is a very hard thing. You're still a kid. Just enjoy being human. When you're older, we'll talk about this. All of us," he assured me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and smiled a little. "You promise, Jazz?"

He nodded his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and squeezing gently. "I promise."

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

On the way home, Bella had fallen asleep in Emmett's lap. Her breathing was labored, though, and I could tell she was in pain. She was sweating, too.

I kept shooting her glances in the rearview mirror. What was wrong with her?

Emmett was also worried, having sensed the differences in her. _She's burning up, bro_, he told me via his mind worriedly.

I swerved, stepping on the gas. Carlisle would be home by now, and the hospital would be too chaotic. I needed him to take a look at Bella. Was she coming down with something?

We reached home to find Carlisle waiting for us in the garage. He quickly stepped towards the backseat and pulled Bella out. "Alice called," he said, by way of explanation. We rushed into the house, and into Bella's room. Carlisle already has his doctor's kit out.

She stirred while he was giving her check up, and she looked at us. I had the feeling she wasn't really seeing us even as her gaze swept across the room.

Carlisle handed her some medication. Bella made a face, but took it anyway. She fell asleep almost immediately. Carlisle said to let her rest. She would be out cold for the next few hours, and we were to let her sleep peacefully. She would recuperate soon enough.

Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle were extremely worried. I could hear it in their frantic thoughts.

Carlisle was certain Bella only had the flu and slight fever. The medication would work its magic and Bella would be fine in a day or two. He had dealt with this countless times before, but he had never been the paternal figure towards one of his patients before. This was killing him inside, seeing Bella weak and tossing and turning on the bed. He left the room to clear his head.

Emmett and Jasper followed soon, to pace around in their own rooms.

But I didn't leave Bella's side. I couldn't. I hated seeing her like this, but I needed to be there for her. She was tossing and turning, writhing slightly. She was also sweating. I tugged off the sweater I had put on her before we left the house, and stripped the bed sheet from the bed so that she wouldn't feel suffocated.

She had the flu. I knew it was ridiculous to be so out of my mind with worry, but I couldn't help myself. Centuries ago, I had died from my human life due to the flu.

It wasn't the same, I knew it. But tons of people still died from flu and fever, didn't they? Children, especially. Their bodies were weak, fragile.

Bella was even more so.

I took one of her pale hands in mine and kissed her knuckle gently. "You'll be alright, Bella," I whispered.

She has to be.

******************************************************************************

I watched her sleep throughout the night. Some time near dawn, my cell phone rang. I silently cursed myself for forgetting to keep it in silent mode. I answered the call immediately, not moving from Bella's side. I could talk quiet enough not to wake her.

The Caller ID said 'Alice'.

I supposed she would have had a vision of this. I winced. What would the Cullen women say about this.

I answered the phone, slightly timidly. "Hello?"

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" Alice shrieked.

I flinched as she used my full name. She'd never done that before. I guessed she was extremely angry. "Alice, be quiet! Bella's sleeping!" I admonished.

"Well, I'm just sorry that I can't be quiet enough after I'd gotten a vision of Bella being sick!"

Her loud voice was making my ears bleed. Even Bella was waking up, hearing her shrill voice. "Edward?" she mumbled sleepily.

I placed the phone on my lap, and helped Bella up to a sitting position, propping up the pillows against the headboard so she could rest against it. "Who is that on the phone?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Alice."

She nodded her head, and I went back to talk on the phone. "Is she there? Is she awake? Can you put her on?"

I rolled my eyes and handed the phone to Bella. "Alice wants to talk to you."

Bella took the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Hello? Yes, Alice, I'm fine…Carlisle gave me medicine. I'm okay. Really. No! You don't need to come home early…Alice, really, I'm fine!" She was blushing as she said all this, probably embarrassed that she was being molly-coddled like this.

Finally, after ten minutes of convincing Alice, Rosalie and Esme that they really didn't need to cut their visit to West Edmonton Mall short, Bella handed the phone back to me. I assured Alice that Bella has Carlisle's undivided attention and hung up.

I shot Bella a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you have to miss ballet camp," I told her.

Realization dawned on her face as she realized that ballet camp was supposed to take place today. Then she laughed, shaking her head. She really hadn't been all that interested in it anyway, I knew.

******************************************************************************

_Thursday_

_Emmett's POV_

"I can do this."

Edward and Carlisle were up in Bella's room. Edward had gotten her a TV yesterday, specially delivered of course. He hadn't left her side since she'd gotten sick. Honestly, the guy took 'overprotective' to a whole new level.

Carlisle was having one of his check-ups again. After Alice had called Edward, Esme has called Carlisle and made him promise to make sure Bella would be healthy and in one piece by the time the girls came home. I couldn't be sure but I think Esme must have threatened him.

I was supposed to be making Bella lunch. Jasper was still gone-he had no choice but to go on his hunting trip. He'd put it off for long enough, and it just wasn't safe with Bella in the house. He was going to be back by tonight, though.

I scooped up some of the soup into the bowl. I'd made Bella chicken noodle soup. I heard it was supposed to be good for you if you were sick. Bella liked it enough when Carlisle made it for her yesterday.

I placed the bowl on a tray and placed a spoon next to it. I carried the tray up the stairs at human speed. I could hear Edward begging Bella to watch something else-ever since the TV had been in her room, all she would watch was Peter Pan, over and over again. It was driving Edward crazy. I wanted to torture him a little bit more. I reached her room and knocked on the door.

"I made chicken noodle soup," I declared, almost proudly.

Bella looked at me in surprise. "You did?"

I nodded my head and handed her the tray. Edward adjusted it so that it would spill onto the bed. Bella grabbed the spoon and plunged it into the bowl. She scooped some of the food and ate it. Then she cracked a smile and raised an eyebrow at me. "Em, I think you forgot the chicken."

"What!?"

"It's noodle water."

Edward almost fell off the bed laughing. I gaped at Bella and the bowl of _noodle water_, apparently. Carlisle smiled widely, but held in his laughter.

"Give me that, Bella," he took the tray from her lap. "I'll, uh, add in the chicken," he said, shooting me an amused look.

I scowled, sitting on the bed on Bella's other side. Edward was still shaking with laughter, causing the bed to shake under his weight. I crossed my arms across my chest.

Bella, seeing my embarrassment, placed a hand on my arm. "If it helps," she said. "I liked the noodle water."

You know, it really didn't help. Especially when it set Edward off on another round of laughter.

******************************************************************************

When Jasper got back, Bella was still awake. She'd been waiting up for him, even though the medication was kicking in. I would see her stifle a yawn or two, but she still struggled to stay awake.

I loved how Bella was already a part of the family. She really was attached to everyone.

Of course, the reason she waited for Jasper was pure comic relief for Carlisle, Edward and I-the moment she saw him, she made him get down on all fours and carry her around the house on his back. He was a pony. She'd seen a commercial on horses at one point, and had been thinking of making Jasper a pony ever since.

Poor guy. He had to do that for half an hour before Carlisle controlled his laughter and pulled the dad card.

"That's enough, Bella. Time for bed," he said sternly, lifting her off Jasper's back and carrying her to her room.

"But-" Bella started to protest, but a yawn escaped her lips.

Carlisle smiled as he gently laid her down on the bed. "The medication is working," he commented. "Sleep, okay, angel? You need to get better."

And, as usual, Edward took his place, sitting right next to her, watching her like her guardian angel.

******************************************************************************

_Saturday_

_Bella's POV_

I woke up feeling a lot better. My head didn't feel so heavy. My eyes didn't feel like I've been crying for hours. I could breathe through my nose again, and I felt…Refreshed. Like I'd just had a really good night's sleep.

I looked around the room and sure enough, Edward was right there, sitting in my rocking chair by the window. He smiled when he saw me.

He must have sensed somehow that I felt all better. "Are you feeling alright now, Bella?" he asked gently.

I nodded my head, sitting up and stretching. "Yes," I replied. "I think I'm okay now."

Edward nodded his head, smiling. "Good."

I went into the bathroom to take a shower and changed into my clothes. Then I called for Edward-I was still too short to reach the sink on my own, so I needed his help to carry me up so I could brush my teeth.

I had been sick since Tuesday. I was more than ready to be up and about. I couldn't wait to play with the boys again, and move around the house. Maybe even go out somewhere.

Once I was done brushing my teeth, I went downstairs with Edward. Jasper and Emmett were in the kitchen, trying to make blueberry pancakes, my favorite. I guess they heard that I was all better now.

They were arguing, as usual. Edward said that they were worse than a married couple. Carlisle was sitting at the counter, watching them bemusedly.

The kitchen was a mess. I don't think they've actually cleaned it since the girls left. I could even see an empty pack of noodles from when Emmett tried to make me chicken noodle soup on Thursday. And that was three days ago!

I was about to tell them that we could just put a Pop Tart in the toaster, when Edward stiffened. "Oh, no," he said, turning around to face the front door.

The door burst open, and in came my worst nightmare-Alice, with about fifty shopping bags on each arm. I screamed and hid behind Edward, afraid of what she had in store for me. Even if she didn't go shopping with me, she always bought me something and always made me try everything she bought for me for her to see. As if she didn't already know if they would fit or not. She was just plain crazy about fashion.

Alice froze as she took in the condition of the house. Her mouth dropped open. Esme and Rosalie came in just then, and they both had the same reaction as her.

Then, Esme's face went from shock to complete anger.

That was a lot scarier than Alice any day.

"CARLISLE CULLEN!"

I think I heard him whimper in fright.

______________________________________________________________________________

_So sorry I took so long, but I'm in the middle of writing the last chapter for Bella at age 7. After this, it'll be a few chapters with Bella at age 11-I wanted to add that age in because first of, 7 to 13 is a long jump, and secondly, I wanted Bella to meet the Volturi at age 11. P.S. At 11, Bella's still living in London. I didn't get a lot of reviews about Connor, so I wanted to know. Do you want more Connor during this time before the Cullens move to Alaska, or do you want him to disappear? Do you want him to have merely friendly feelings towards her or crush on her (Bella's oblivious, of course, because she's Bella)?_

_To Reaching Out, thank you for saying that. I am writing a book…LOL. Ironic. I don't know about best seller, but I'm doing my best. I swear, I don't even sleep now._

_TheVenomRunsThruMe, they might have more money for New Moon, but Edward would be gone most of the time, so I wouldn't like it. Sigh._

_To bitten-sln, I thought immortal children only applied to those babies and all? I know they never specified, but I always imagined Jane to be a little girl, around 12 years. But I distinctly remembered them saying immortal children were babies, right? Wasn't that why Bella was dreaming of babies with red eyes when she was pregnant?_

_To crankthatbri and Una, thank you. Your opinion and words meant a lot._

_To BellaHermione, I never really got the feel for Nessie, so I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to go down the path of Bella being pregnant. There are a lot of stories like that, and I even have two of that on this site. If Bella grows up, gets changed and all, I want it to be just Edward and Bella, for this story. I don't know if that's what everyone wants, so we'll have to see when the time is right. As for Jacob, there'll be a time to think of that, too._

_To Smoochynose, thank you for the information. I posted before reading your review, and it was actually quite useful. But I'd already said Northampton, and that works out well, too. But thank you, nonetheless._

_To Screams-At-Midnight, I had no idea…Where I come from, we have primary 1-6, secondary 1-4, Junior College year 1 and 2, and then university. Can anyone tell me how the UK education system works??_

_What do you think of this chapter?? I know it's extremely long. Twenty pages…God! But it's a whole week, after all, and I cut down on a lot._

_Would you like more Connor or do you wish he'd curl up and die somewhere??_

_Tell me what you think, Denali Surprise is on its way. Thank you!!!_


	16. Denali Surprise

_**A/N:**__ I know Bella will be going to live in Denali with the Cullens when she's around 13, but I was just curious to see how 7 year old Bella would react to Tanya stealing her best friend's attention. Then after this will be Bella at age 11, with the Volturi in town. P.S. Esme's POV wasn't in the previous chapter, so sorry, but it's in this one._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Esme_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

It was still the holidays-I'd spent the last week being grounded by Esme for getting Bella sick and causing the house to look as if a hurricane to sweep through it. In all fairness, I hadn't actually stepped out of Bella's room since she got sick, but I do blame myself for getting her sick in the first place. I should have taken better care of her, ensure that nothing would go wrong. Which was why I accepted my punishment without complaint.

Emmett and Jasper however, were a different matter. They begged, pouted and fell on their knees. Pathetic, really.

Carlisle was the worst-Esme wouldn't even look at him for three days straight. Especially when she found out that he had broken her China vase in a game of football-inside the house.

Alice was as angry as the rest of us-but she'd seen the games Bella had made us play, and she was always alternating between being extremely furious to shaking with laughter.

Bella had apologized profusely to her friend Rebecca for missing the ballet camp. I knew Bella hated letting people down, and it seemed to her like this was an example of that. Rebecca had gone to ballet camp on her own, and Bella felt guilty for not going with her. Which was utterly ridiculous, considering it wasn't her fault she'd gotten sick.

I was watching Eloise At The Plaza-a movie Esme begged us not to watch since Emmett's influence was bad enough already-when Alice started squealing from her room. I hadn't heard her thoughts since she was upstairs, so it was fairly easy to block, so I was about as surprised and curious as the next person.

She ran into the room at top Alice speed, Jasper following close by at a vampire-speed stroll. "We're going to have visitors!" she announced excitedly.

At this, every one of us tensed. For us, 'visitors' might not be such a good thing.

Alice saw this and rolled her eyes. "Would I be so excited if they were bad visitors?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. We all exchanged looks and laughed, realizing she was right.

Esme stepped forward, and placed a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Who is it, then, Alice?" she asked.

Alice started squealing again, jumping up and down. "Tanya and her clan," she said.

I winced.

God, no. Tanya? I've successfully spent the past twenty years avoiding her. Something that required skill, no less. And now she was visiting? Oh, God, this couldn't be a good thing.

Jasper sensed my anxiety and fear, to put it mildly, and snickered. "Come on, Eddie," he teased. I growled at him. "It can't be that bad to see her."

"See who?" Bella asked from beside me, not even taking her eyes off the television screen.

Emmett's raucous laughter filled the hall. "Tanya," he answered between gasps of laughter. "His 'best friend'."

At this, almost everyone laughed at me, while I grimaced. Almost everyone. Bella frowned at me, though I could see the hurt on her face. "I thought _I'm _your bestest friend?" she asked quietly.

I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to sit on my lap, though she looked away from me. I could tell that she wanted to get away from me. I threw Emmett a glare over my shoulder, and he shrugged. That smirk of his still hasn't left his lips.

"Bella," I shook my head. "Emmett's being silly. I don't actually like Tanya…I find her quite irritating," I mused.

It was true, her antics over the times we've met has left much to be desired. She found me attractive, and wanted me as a mate. Or even just a 'one-night stand', as Emmett called it.

I, on the other hand, had never been interested in her. She was beautiful, but all of our kind were. She was nothing special to me. I acted civil towards her despite her childish manner of always trying to seduce me because she was a part of the Denali clan. Carlisle was good friends with them all, and I didn't want to cause a rift between them.

It had been extremely unnerving for Tanya who always got who she wanted, due to the fact that she was a seductress. She and her sisters were succubus. It surprised her that I could refuse her. That I wanted to refuse her.

And it had been extremely unnerving for me each time I saw Tanya because I wanted nothing more than to escape her idea of seduction.

Bella looked up at me timidly. "So I'm still your bestest friend?" she asked, dropping her gaze to her hands on her lap.

I smiled. Silly Bella. Of course she was. I'd give her anything for her happiness, including my life. "Of course, Bella. You're my…_Bestest _friend," I grinned.

Bella smiled, blushing. She hid her face in my chest, her overheated skin warm even through my shirt.

Carlisle cleared his throat, smiling amusedly. I couldn't make out his thoughts, though. They were mostly about a documentary he once saw on alligators. "Right then, now that that's all sorted out," he chuckled. "Do you know when they'll be here?"

Alice scoffed, hands on her hips. "_Of course _I know!" she said indignantly. "I'm psychic, remember?"

"When, dear?" Esme asked. _Oh, dear. I hope it's not very soon. I'd have to tidy the place up a bit. It's a good thing they aren't human guests-I'd have to cook if they were. Let's see…Best start with the living room…_

Alice's face brightened as she started jumping in excitement again. "They'll be here by tomorrow night," she announced, dancing over to Jasper. He wrapped his arms around her in a futile effort to calm her down.

_My God, Alice, please calm down, _I'm _starting to_ _feel like squealing in excitement…Emmett would tease me for a century if I did-you heard that, didn't you, Edward?_

I laughed, but focused my eyes on the screen so that my family would think I was laughing at the movie.

I could almost see Jasper's mental frown at me.

******************************************************************************

Bella couldn't sleep. I could hear her from my room, tossing and turning. It sounded like the sheets were eating her whole. I smirked, shaking my head, as I stood up from my couch and made my way to her room.

Normally, all it took was Esme or Rosalie reading her a bedtime story, Emmett making some jokes and Clair de Lune playing on her stereo before she fell asleep.

Clair de Lune has been on repeat five times.

I knocked on her door, and pushed it open slightly. Bella sat up in bed and looked at me, frowning. "I can't sleep," she muttered unhappily.

I laughed. "I know, I could hear you," I teased.

Bella blushed at being caught and, I suspected, from embarrassment that the entire family knew she was still awake at this hour. I stepped inside and walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"May I know what's been bothering you?" I asked. I had an inkling that it had something to do with Tanya's family visiting.

"Nothing," Bella replied, though her blush became more prominent.

I sighed. It was easy to pick out humans when they lie. It was much easier with Bella considering she wasn't a very good liar. I didn't need to be able to read her mind to know when she was trying to be deceptive.

"Really?" I prodded. "It has absolutely nothing to do with Tanya and her family visiting?"

_Yeah, good Eddie_, Emmett threw his thoughts at me from the living room. _Just go straight to the obvious._

I growled low in my throat, something Bella sitting in front of me didn't catch, but Emmett did. I heard him laughing.

Bella blushed again and looked away. "Bella, you know you can tell me anything," I said gently, smiling at her.

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "I just don't know anything about them, and everyone else does!" she pouted.

I laughed. So this was what has gotten her in a tizzy? "I'll tell you everything you want to know," I promised. She brightened up, but I held up a finger. "Tomorrow," I finished firmly. "I want you to go to sleep now. It's late."

Bella gaped at me, then frowned. "Edward! You can't tell someone you're going to let them in on a secret then tell them to go to sleep first!" she said incredulously.

"The Denali clan aren't a secret, Bella."

"They are to me!"

I sighed again, and pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. "Bella!" I rolled my eyes. "Would you please listen to me just this once? I don't want you to get tired tomorrow…Please? Just sleep?" I used my best smile on her in the vain hopes that she would actually forget that she was stubborn for a minute and go to sleep.

To my utter surprise, it worked.

Bella rolled her eyes, but slid down in the bed, her head on the pillow. I tucked her in, and picked up the remote control from her nightstand. I pressed the 'play' button, and Clair de Lune filled the room from the speakers.

Almost immediately, her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

******************************************************************************

The house was in chaos-for the most part, anyway.

Esme was frantically going through the whole place, cleaning every inch of it. She'd been doing that since four in the morning.

Alice was trying to see if she and Kate could do any shopping while the Denali clan stayed with us. While they weren't the best of friends due to the distance, Kate and Alice enjoyed each other's company. When they meet after a long time apart, it was like two sisters seeing each other again.

Jasper was trying to control himself because he could feel all the emotions running through the house.

Emmett was indifferent, of course, as was Rosalie. Her only concern was of Tanya. She didn't particularly like her, either. Tanya considered herself to be extremely beautiful. Her vanity rivaled Rosalie's. It was why the two could never get along.

Carlisle was wondering if Eleazar would have any stories to share-the last time they'd seen each other, Eleazar had recounted several meetings with newborns he'd encountered while traveling North with Carmen, his mate.

I was merely dreading the entire thing. I hoped beyond hope that Tanya has gotten herself a mate, so she wouldn't bother me anymore. I'd planned on asking Alice if she saw anything, but she'd answered before I even opened my mouth.

"Nope. Sorry, Edward, but she's still as infatuated with you as she was the first time she saw you."

That made me cringe. The first time we saw each other had been extremely painful. She'd followed me everywhere, using her seductress techniques on me. While none of them worked, they did make me uncomfortable. Very much so. I was practically begging to leave Denali by the end of our two week stay.

This had only served to make Tanya pursue me even more, and Emmett to crack up laughing. I wondered if he was going to tell me to just 'let it go' and 'let loose'. He'd told me there was no harm in just having fun.

_I'd _rather chew glass.

"They'll be here in five minutes," Alice chirped from the loveseat, where she perched on Jasper's lap. Emmett and Rosalie sat in the same position right next to them. I held Bella in my lap on the couch. I hoped Kate, or Carmen or Eleazar were to sit next to me instead of Tanya. Please, God, don't let me suffer. Carlisle and Esme took the armchair.

A moment later, I heard the doorbell. Esme climbed off of Carlisle's lap and answered it. "Carmen! Eleazar! Kate!" I heard her exclaim. "Welcome! Come in, please."

She didn't mention Tanya. I brightened up slightly. Maybe she couldn't make it? Or maybe she was mauled by a grizzly? Highly unlikely but a vampire could hope…

The three astounding vampires came in the door. "Hello, Esme," Carmen said warmly. "I hope you don't mind-Irina and Tanya are parking the car outside. They'll be in soon."

My hopes sank. Jasper felt this and chuckled quietly. I scowled at him. Great. She was here. What was I going to do? Would I have to avoid her this time, as well? It was pure torture whenever she was around. I never minded her company as a friend. But twenty seconds into our conversation and she would start flirting with me. It made me feel highly uncomfortable.

"Of course. Come on, everyone's excited to see you," Esme said giddily.

We all stood up as the three of them entered the living room. Bella stood behind me, gripping my legs for comfort. She was still incredibly shy when meeting new people. She begged me to stay with her on her first day of school. I chuckled internally at the memory.

Kate, Carmen and Eleazar scanned the room, greeting us all with their warm smiles and quick 'hellos'. But ultimately, their attention was on Bella.

_So it's true-a human child. I wonder if Carlisle knew what trouble he was getting himself and his family into_, Eleazar thought. He used to be a Volturi guard, so he knew Aro's strict rules on humans never finding out about vampires. Carlisle was an old friend-it was no wonder he was concerned for us. Irrational as it was, I still felt a tiny surge of anger towards him for judging the situation so harshly.

_Oh, my. She's adorable…So pretty. Look at that ivory skin, that blush, those eyes! She would be very beautiful when she's grown. Oh, Esme must be so happy to have a daughter, a real human daughter._ I smiled at Carmen's thoughts. She was so gentle, so loving. Esme had always liked her.

_I wonder if they have any plans to change her in the future. I hope the Cullens know what they're doing. You have to admit, she's cute._ Kate-always the practical one, the blunt one. With feeling, of course. Unlike Irina, who just spoke without thinking. Her tenacity rivaled Rosalie's and Emmett's combined.

Noticing that all three of them had their eyes on Bella, Esme stepped forward and scooped Bella up into her arms. Bella, noticing that she was being given full attention, blushed, and buried her face against Esme's neck. Esme laughed, and stroked Bella's hair lovingly. "This is Bella," she said, her voice dripping with motherly affection. "We found her when she was six. More than a year ago, actually…"

"She's human," I heard a voice from the entryway. We all turned to find Irina and Tanya looking disbelievingly at Bella. Esme placed Bella on the floor, and she immediately ran towards me, hiding behind my legs again.

"Yes," Esme answered coolly, though I knew she was fighting hard to keep her anger in check. She had never been all that fond of Irina because she was too rude for her liking. Tanya had gotten on her nerves as well, but that was purely because she tried too hard to be with me and yet found time to be with other men on the side. Esme found this disgusting. "But she's one of us. I'd like her to be treated like a Cullen."

Esme took her place next to Carlisle, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling proudly at her. _That's my wife._

Irina and Tanya didn't seem as if they would be recovering anytime soon. But Kate, Carmen and Eleazar were already smiling at Bella. "Of course, Esme, Carlisle," Eleazar said gracefully. In his thoughts, I could see he was still slightly apprehensive, but he understood that this meant a lot to us and decided to just keep his opinions to himself. I respected him for that.

Esme gestured for our five visitors to take a seat, while we Cullens resumed ours. I scooped Bella up and settled her on my lap as I sat. Kate sat next to me, while Eleazar sat next to her and Carmen sat on the armrest next to Eleazar. Tanya and Irina were offered chairs.

Kate turned her body slightly, angling it towards Bella and I. She smiled down at Bella, who promptly blushed. Kate laughed. "She's adorable," she said, looking up to smile at all of us.

I grinned down at Bella. Adorable. That was one word to describe it.

Kate turned back to look at Bella. "Hello, Bella," she said sweetly. "I'm Kate."

Bella's blush still tainted her cheeks, but she swallowed-loud for every one of us-and smiled shyly back. "Hello," she whispered.

Kate was unfazed by Bella's shyness. In fact, she found it endearing. "I like your dress, Bella. Did you pick it out?"

I felt Bella begin to relax, and smiled at Kate. 'Thank you', I mouthed at her. She gave me an almost imperceptible shrug, before turning her attention back to Bella. I could tell she really did find Bella intriguing.

Bella shook her head, fingering the fabric. "Alice did. She went to the biggest mall in America," Bella announced. Then she frowned, pouting her lips the way she did whenever she was thinking. "I don't know why she was happy about that," she mumbled, almost to herself.

I suppressed my laughter, but I already saw Alice shooting Bella a glare, and Jasper trying to calm his wife while he himself shook with laughter.

Kate threw back her head and laughed. "I like her," she grinned, winking at Alice. She simply stuck her tongue out at Kate, folded her arms defiantly and huffed.

Before I could stop her, Bella had reached out to touch Kate's bare arm. I felt panic surge through me. Would Kate's power spark right about now? A current as strong as the one Kate would produce would kill Bella instantly.

But Bella placed her small hand on Kate's surprised arm for a full ten seconds before pulling back, nothing happening. "You're cold, too," she said. "Is that something all vampires have?" she asked, looking at me.

I nodded my head numbly. My confusion and shock was multiplied ten fold because of Jasper. He was feeling everyone's shock and he was subconsciously projecting the emotions back to the room.

Bella, of course, noticed my silence and frowned. She placed a hand on either side of my face, her brown eyes seeking my golden orbs. "Edward?" her voice shook. "Are you okay?" I nodded silently again.

"Did I do something wrong?" I wasn't able to answer that. Did she do something wrong? Did she do something right?

How was she able to block Kate's power? From the shock on her face, and her own scattered thoughts, I could tell that Kate had produced a current. She hadn't mean to-it was pure reflex. She couldn't control it quite well either.

But it hadn't even affected Bella. She looked as if she didn't even know she should have been curled up on the floor, writhing in pain, dying.

Carlisle was the first to recover. "Bella," he said slowly, but gently. Bella's tear filled gaze turned to him. I could tell I was scaring her by being so passive, and I didn't want that. I forced myself to snap out of it. Bella needed me. "Did you feel anything when you touched Kate?"

Bella sniffed, then frowned at Carlisle. "What do you mean, daddy?" she asked softly. I grinned a little. Daddy. She thought she was in trouble and was trying to pacify Carlisle.

Carlisle must have known this too because I saw the corners of his lips pull back into a smile. But his thoughts were too scattered for me to read properly. He was too intrigued by this new discovery. "When you touched Kate, did you feel like a tingle? Or a…A pain, maybe?"

Bella's frown deepened, and she shook her head. She turned back to look at me, and that's when I noticed that she had a look of fear on her face.

What could she be fearing? Could she be finally realizing that she was in a room full of vampires? Could she somehow know that something wasn't right? Was she afraid that she was in trouble?

Jasper sensed my confusion and anxiety, and answered my unspoken questions mentally. _Edward, she's just worried about you. She thinks you're mad at her, that she's in trouble somehow. Snap out of it, you're scaring her even more!_

I inclined my head once to let him know I heard him, then placed my hands on Bella's shoulders. "Bella," I said. Some of the fear on her face disappeared. "I'm not angry at you. You're not in trouble, okay?" I told her quietly.

Bella nodded her head, and I felt her muscles relax under my grip. She gave me a tentative smile. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against her forehead, closing my eyes to breathe in her scent for a moment.

I pulled back and looked her seriously in the eyes. "Really, Bella. I just want to know-you felt nothing out of the ordinary when you touched Kate?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

It must have worked, because Bella started playing with my sleeve absentmindedly. It was a habit of hers whenever she became bored. "No," she replied. "It was the same as touching any one of you."

"Interesting," Carlisle said.

Eleazar shot him a look. "Interesting? Carlisle, the human child could block out Kate' powers-"

"Eleazar," Carmen warned, but he didn't heed her.

"This isn't interesting. This is an anomaly that the Volturi would be very concerned about!"

I would have gotten angry at him had I not heard only concern for Carlisle's safety in his mind. Bella, however, didn't have the same advantage. She curled up into me, whimpering.

Eleazar heard it and glanced at Bella guiltily. "Eleazar, sit! Look what you did!" Carmen scolded him. Eleazar looked too bashful for anyone to be really mad at him.

"Bella, it's alright," I soothed, running my hand through her silky, long hair. "Really. Eleazar isn't angry with you. He was just very concerned."

Kate reached over and hesitantly placed a hand on Bella's back. When Bella didn't react in pain, she smiled. "It's okay, Bella," she said. "I promise."

When Bella still won't look up, I sighed and said, "Won't you smile for me, Bella?" I made sure to use my best pleading look on her when she looked up at me. Bella giggled, and threw me a huge grin. I smiled back, and wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

Eleazar looked uncomfortable and he tried to apologize, stuttering all the way. Bella looked at him, confused, wondering what he might be trying to say. After a few minutes of groveling, I decided to let him off the hook. I leant forward and whispered that he only wanted to say he was sorry. Of course everyone else heard, but Bella liked her privacy and I wanted to give that to her as much as possible.

She laughed again and blushed. "It's okay," she said quietly. Eleazar smiled at her and she smiled back, snuggling into me.

Carlisle cleared his throat and, once he'd gotten all our attention, he continued. "I only said 'interesting' because I think I've figured out why Edward can't read Bella's mind," he said. "Your gift, like Kate's, is an invasion of her mind. It's psychological. Bella likes to be private, even now as a child. She hated the idea of you being able to read her mind, Edward. I think she somehow, subconsciously, blocked it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Her seven year old mind can do that?" I asked incredulously.

"Hey!" Alice huffed, glaring at me. "Great things come in small packages!"

We burst into laughter at that.

"What about Alice and Jasper?" Emmett asked. "Alice can see her future, and Jasper can sense her emotions."

Carlisle shook his head. "Those have nothing to do with her mind," he reminded us.

Bella looked confused and, for the most part, uninterested.

Eleazar was pacing by now, his Volturi past crashing down on him. He was thinking of how Aro, Marcus and Caius would be interested in knowing about Bella, and how we would have a hard time hiding her, protecting her. "So will this…_Blocking_," he said, stopping finally to look at Bella. "Intensify and become her gift once she's changed?"

I growled low in my throat, and all of our guests turned to look at me, surprised.

Jasper spoke up before I could do-or say-anything. _Don't be ridiculous, Edward_, he warned mentally. _They don't know anything. To them, it's the most rational thing to do._

I wanted to ask if he thought it was the rational thing to do, if they all thought it. But we had guests. And Bella was sitting right here. I would lose my temper for that particular conversation and I didn't want her to see that side of me.

"We haven't actually decided on that yet," Jasper said quickly. At Eleazar's perplexed look, he elaborated. "She's only seven. We have time."

Eleazar looked unconvinced, but he took his place next to Carmen anyway. "I hope so, for all your sakes, Carlisle," he muttered, shaking his head. "Aro won't be pleased."

Rosalie snorted. "Aro could just-"

Carlisle shot her a glare and she stopped talking. "We'll take into consideration your concerns, Eleazar," Carlisle said pleasantly. "But how about we forget about Aro and the Volturi for this visit and focus on the pleasant things?"

Carmen and Kate agreed instantly. Since Carmen agreed, so did Eleazar. Tanya had yet to say anything, as had Irina.

Suddenly, Tanya stood up from her seat and smiled at me. I felt an involuntary shudder run down my spine. Jasper of course felt that and started laughing at me mentally. "Well, I think she's cute," she sang, prancing next to me and sitting on the arm of the couch on my side.

I should've sat in between Kate and Carmen.

Tanya flipped her strawberry blonde hair, and smiled at Bella. "Hello, I'm Tanya," she said.

At this, Bella blushed and buried her face in my chest. I chuckled to myself. Emmett really shouldn't have told her about Tanya wanting to be my 'bestest friend'. She was being irrationally fearful of something that would never happen.

Tanya frowned at this, and raised an eyebrow at me. "Edward," she whined. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head, running my hand soothingly up and down Bella's spine. I could still feel the heat on her face-she wasn't done blushing yet. I cracked a grin.

"No, Tanya, nothing to be worried about," I said dismissively. "She's shy."

She brightened at this and leaned forward. "Well, let her play with someone else for a while, Edward," she said in a low voice. I felt my eyebrows draw together. What was she playing at now? "We could go out for a little while…Hunt, walk, whatever."

I fought the massive urge to roll my eyes. Ah. That again.

I felt Bella's arms tightened around my neck. I think she was using as much force as her seven year old human body could allow. I smiled, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"Sorry, Tanya," I said as politely as I could. "I promised Bella I'd teach her how to play the piano."

It wasn't a complete lie. Bella had heard me play the piano, of course. She'd gotten attached to that, always asking me to play. I'd never been bothered by that. I loved playing for her as much as, maybe even more than, I loved playing for Esme. Bella had been intrigued, and had asked me to teach her how to play. We just hadn't specified on 'when'.

I turned my gaze towards Carlisle and Esme, who looked as if they were trying their best not to laugh. I wanted to scowl, but that would only make Tanya suspicious. She wasn't facing them so she didn't know. I would rather avoid confrontation.

"May I please be excused?" I asked through clenched teeth. Esme only nodded her head.

I stood up, setting Bella on her feet and taking her hand in mine, leading her towards the piano room.

As we walked away, I heard Eleazar and Carmen talking in Spanish in hushed tones.

I couldn't help but wonder why suddenly, all of my family had their thoughts blocked against mine.

******************************************************************************

_Esme's POV_

My poor son. I would've defended him but it was just too funny.

As much as I enjoyed the entertainment, though, I couldn't help but feel a resentment towards Tanya and Irina. I thank God no one from the Denali clan were empaths. Jasper kept trying to calm me down, too good a son to laugh at me every time I started imagining Tanya being strangled to death, and Alice enjoyed the visions too much to care.

Irina hadn't gotten any better at being tactful. After Edward had taken Bella to the piano room, and the beautiful notes only my son could produce had floated towards us, Irina had looked at us all and bluntly asked how we hadn't eaten Bella yet. If Carlisle hadn't been holding me, I would have lunged at her.

Tanya must have sensed that because she asked her sister to keep quiet and respect the guests. I knew she was only saying that to get on my good graces. But Irina had to follow her commands because she was the leader of the coven.

The next few days were spent in the most torturous way possible.

I enjoyed Eleazar's, Kate's and Carmen's company. So did the rest of the family.

Alice, Rosalie and Kate took Bella shopping their second day here, and Bella had gone because she seemed to like Kate. That was a good thing, that Bella was able to connect with her.

It was strange how this human girl fitted with vampires, but not with humans. She was ready to scream and run with that Darla Nunen. Not that I blamed her. But she hadn't really made any close human friends. Except for Rebecca. I'd have to talk to Bella about not being so shy with people. I don't think it was a good thing for a growing girl.

Carmen, too, had taken a liking to Bella. Carmen was an artist, and she had a sketchbook at all times with her. She had been sketching the horizon from the garden one evening, and Bella had come out to look at it. I think Carmen enjoyed the perspective of an innocent child. And to be honest, Bella was adorable whenever she gave her opinions. She blushed, she stuttered at times, but she spoke the truth. I supposed Bella loved Carmen's work.

Eleazar still hadn't gotten over his apprehension over the matter. But he was warming up to the idea. I even caught him trying to teach Bella Spanish.

Irina avoided Bella at all costs, something I was actually happy about.

Tanya followed Bella and Edward around like a lost puppy. She tried being nice to Bella, to talk to her and get her to like her, but it never worked. Like Edward, Bella was impregnable. She wouldn't be bought by Tanya's bribes because she hated being the spotlight. She wouldn't give in to Tanya's 'charm' because she knew Tanya wasn't being honest in liking her.

In truth, Bella was afraid Tanya would take away her best friend. She had no idea how close she was to the truth-Tanya wanted Edward to be her mate. The fact that he was off limits only made it even more worth the chase. I found it repulsive, as do the rest of us.

I had never been happier about Emmett's big mouth. At least this way, Bella's fear of being abandoned by Edward was set to good use. Not that I'd actually use my daughter that way.

Edward would never leave her. The only time he left her alone was when she needed to go to the bathroom, or bathe, or change into her clothes, or sleep. Other than that, the two were inseparable.

I sighed. I couldn't wait until Bella was older, no matter how much I loved her now as a child. She would always be my daughter. I just wanted to see my son happy.

Seeing Edward and Bella together like this the past few days have gotten the rest of us thinking of Alice's vision much more often. It was harder to keep it blocked from Edward. Emmett was always so close to telling. Rosalie didn't even let him leave the room, keeping him too preoccupied to think of anything else. Edward had left the two of them alone, disgusted.

The rest of us just had to fare our best.

"Esme," I heard Tanya's voice from the kitchen doorway.

I gritted my teeth, but turned to smile at her briefly before I get back to stirring the batter for the brownies I was making for Bella. She had gotten addicted to them recently, and I wanted to indulge her. It was the least I could do since she had to endure Tanya and Irina.

She pranced over to me, and sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen isle, right opposite where I was standing. I chose to ignore her and focus on the task at hand.

"What on earth are you doing, Esme?" Tanya asked, bewildered.

I smiled slightly. Not a lot of vampires cook. "I'm baking brownies," I said cheerfully. It was really a pleasure for me to be able to cook for Bella. I'd never been able to do that for anyone. At least, not for a very long time. And Bella enjoyed my cooking. I wanted to be able to do this as much as I could while there was still time.

The way I saw it, there were only two options. One, Bella stays with us and she becomes a vampire. The other, Bella leaves to have a normal life. Both options would mean that her humanity would leave me. I wanted to make the most of it while I could.

Tanya wrinkled her nose. It was nowhere near as adorable as when Bella did it. Tanya had never done that before-I guess she'd picked it up from a seven year old. I rolled my eyes at that. "Baking brownies?" she repeated slowly.

I nodded my head, and poured the batter into the baking tray. "Bella loves these," I told her. "I wanted to make her something special."

Tanya sighed dramatically and placed her elbows on the table, cupping her face in her palms. "Esme, I love Bella, I really do," she begun sweetly. I stiffened. Yes, of course she loved Bella. "But it's all everyone talks about. It's like she's the center of attention."

What she wanted to say was Bella's the center of Edward's attention. I didn't bother with the oven mitts as I opened the oven door and placed the tray inside. Shutting it, I set the temperature and time, and turned back to face Tanya.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Tanya," I said as politely as I could. She was the leader of the Denali coven. If I insulted her, I insulted them. "Bella is very special, very important around here," I explained. "It's hard to describe exactly what she means to us, but the bond is very strong. I'm sorry that we've been neglecting you. It's just that Bella always comes first."

Tanya pouted, as if that would change everything. Thank God Rosalie chose that moment to enter. "Hey, Esme," she greeted me with a smile, completely ignoring the fact that Tanya was in the room. "Bella's coming home from the park soon. Should we make her a snack?"

I knew Rosalie was only saying this to get rid of Tanya. She knew fully well that I'd have made Bella a snack on my own, without reminders. My life revolved around that girl now.

I smiled widely at her. "Sure, Rose. How about turkey sandwich?"

Tanya huffed silently, then excused herself.

I waited until her footsteps died down, then said as low as possible, "Thank you, Rose." Rosalie only smiled, and walked out of the kitchen.

I shook my head. My family sure was interesting.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

Tanya was getting on my nerves. As if she hadn't already all those other times we've met. She had to think that she was the most beautiful, that she was who men would fall head over heels for. Don't make me laugh!

She was repulsive, in every sense of the word.

And now she wasn't only making my brother uncomfortable, but she was trying to con Bella into liking her. As if that would work. Bella was smarter than your average seven year old.

I really thought the Denali clan would be gone by now. It's been four days. I didn't mind Carmen, Kate and Eleazar. But Tanya and Irina was making life a lot harder. I hoped there didn't come a time when we have to stay with them for an extended period of time.

I had been busy keeping Emmett distracted. Thank God he had to hunt today…Not that I minded distracting him. But four days in a row _was _tiring, even for a vampire.

We'd all been thinking of Alice's visions lately. Maybe it was seeing Edward and Bella never leaving each other's side. Maybe it was seeing Tanya trying to seduce Edward. Maybe it was seeing Bella getting jealous of Tanya. Whatever it was, we'd all been thinking of those visions.

I'd kept myself busy with Emmett. I knew Alice spent most of her time shopping with Kate. Jasper went hunting with Emmett today. Esme kept cooking and cleaning and talking to Carmen. Carlisle debated with Eleazar.

I thought we've evaded Edward finding out so far.

Boy was I wrong.

Edward was watching TV with Bella. She'd gotten a whole set of I Love Genie DVDs, courtesy of Alice, and had gotten hooked. Dracula. I Love Genie. What was next-Bewitched?

Alice had just gotten through the door with Kate, and my mind just slipped for a second. Instead of thinking about the fashion magazines in my room, I'd thought about Alice's vision.

Edward and Bella dancing, looking into each other's eyes lovingly…

"What!?" Edward bellowed, leaping to his feet.

I gasped, and blocked my mind immediately. But he had already seen that in my head. Thank God it wasn't her second vision.

"What on earth was that, Rose?" he demanded, his eyes black with fury.

Bella had stopped watching the screen to stare up at him anxiously. We had all stopped what we were doing to stare at him. Finally, it was Esme who broke the silence. She sat next to Bella and wrapped her arms around her trembling form.

"Edward, really," she chided. "A little discretion, please."

Edward glanced down at Bella, guilty. "I'm sorry, Bella," he said sincerely.

Then he turned back to glare at Alice and I. Alice raised an eyebrow and I shrugged, repentant. Alice sighed, and rolled her eyes, waving for Edward and I to follow her out the door. We ran towards the woodland area, and went as far from the house as we could.

Then she stopped and we followed suit. "What did Rose do now?" she asked warily, though she must have seen it.

"I saw me!" Edward spluttered. "And…And someone else. There was dancing. She looked…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish. Or maybe he thought that if he continued, we would think he was just mentally insane.

Maybe we could use that defense…

"Like Bella?" Alice prompted. Both Edward and I turned to look at her sharply. I gave her a confused look, but she ignored me. Surely she didn't think now was the right time and place for him to find out?

"What…what?" Edward asked weakly.

Alice rolled her eyes again and placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Edward," she said quietly. "It just means that Bella would be with us for a long time. It means that you and her would have your relationship intact even after all those years. It means she won't be scared off, so don't you get scared off, okay?" she finished that last part sternly.

Ah. I see what she was doing. She was attempting to convince him that the vision was nothing more than two best friends sharing a dance.

"But…Alice," he started to protest. His thoughts were too jumbled up for an actual argument, though.

I cut in. "Alice is right, Edward. This was one of her visions that told her Bella would be staying with us. It showed her that Bella would be safe with us," I tried.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "One of?" he asked suspiciously.

Alice interrupted before I could stutter in panic. "Yes. One of. The others are of her as a child. I got one of her attempting to play football with Emmett. Wanna see?"

Edward glared at her, then sighed. "I suppose I overreacted," he allowed.

I was still nervous, but I was good at lying. We all were. So I snorted and folded my arms huffily. "_Suppose_?" I mocked.

We ran back to the house, crisis averted for a little while.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Tanya was still here. It's been five days, and she hasn't left. I knew it was wrong of me to want my family's friends to leave, but I didn't like her. I liked Kate, Carmen and Eleazar enough, but Tanya I couldn't stand.

At first she ignored me, only wanting to talk to Edward. When she saw that Edward didn't want to talk to her, she tried talking to me, I guess to make Edward like her. She wasn't being honest with me, and I didn't like that.

Five days. I wondered when she'll leave Edward and I alone.

I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn't help it. When my parents died, I didn't just feel sad and angry. I didn't just feel guilty. I felt…Abandoned. Like they had left me, and they'd gone off to heaven to be happy without me.

Edward and the Cullens gave me a lot of happy times, and I loved them for it. I just wished that I didn't feel so afraid of being left behind by them, too. Especially Edward. I didn't know what I would do without him.

I noticed Edward's eyes were starting to get black. It meant he was thirsty. He was always a lot angrier whenever he was thirsty. I didn't like that Edward. So I told him to hunt.

He refused. He wouldn't allow me to stay in the same house with our guests unless he was there. I think he didn't trust Irina and Tanya. I don't think they like me very much.

But the others would still be there. There would be no danger. Even Esme noticed Edward's eyes and told him to go.

Finally, he gave in. I smiled, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. He could be so stubborn.

Then Tanya spoke up. "I'll go with you, Edward. I need to hunt, too."

No, she didn't. Her eyes were golden.

Edward growled in his throat, and I giggled silently. He didn't like her very much, either.

Alice piped up. "That's a good idea, Tanya," she chirped. I shot her a hurt and confused look. She was supposed to be on my side. "Rose and I will tag along, too. It's time for us to hunt as well," she winked at me.

I blushed and turned to face Edward. I tightened my grip around his neck, but I was sure he could break my hold on him without even blinking. "I'll be back before you go to bed, okay?" he smiled at me.

I nodded my head.

"Come on, Edward," Tanya called from the door. The smile on her face told me she was very happy that she finally got to spend time with Edward. Alice and Rose went to the door, as well, and Tanya's smile slipped a little. Well, at least she won't be alone with him.

Edward gave me a final hug, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "You're still my best girl." I, typically, blushed, and Edward chuckled, setting me on the couch next to where he sat. Then he stood up and joined the others.

I sighed. A whole day without Edward. That's a first.

******************************************************************************

I sat up in bed. It was already time for bed. Esme had tucked me in half an hour ago. Lilly was already asleep in her bed. But I couldn't sleep, not even when I closed my eyes. I was waiting for Edward.

I was starting to worry. He'd told me he would be back before I sleep tonight. Where was he? Normally he hunted while I was in school on sunny days, or while I slept. He never went during the day.

What was I thinking, telling him to go? I was thinking of him, of course. I knew it hurt him to sit with me, and played with me, and be so close to me when he needed to hunt so badly. I didn't want to hurt him.

But I was worried, nonetheless, and it was making me too anxious to sleep.

There was a knock on my door, and I jumped. Edward poked his head in and smiled. "Can I come in?" he whispered. I smiled, relieved, and nodded my head. He slipped inside quietly, careful not to wake Lilly. She's a crabby cat when she gets woken up early.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

I blushed, turning away. "I was worried," I admitted sheepishly. "You said you'd be back by now…"

Edward smiled, reaching out to tap my nose playfully. I wrinkled it at him. "Sorry, Bella. I was just saying goodbye to Kate, Carmen and Eleazar," he told me.

I frowned. "They left?"

Edward nodded, handing me something from behind his back. "Carmen wanted me to give this to you," he said.

It was a rolled up piece of paper. I opened it up to see a sketch of Kate, Eleazar and I sitting in the living room tonight. We had toasted marshmallows-well, I had toasted marshmallows-and Kate, Eleazar and Carmen had told me ghost stories. They were trying to scare me but all it did was make me laugh hysterically.

At the bottom of the drawing, Carmen had signed 'From Carmen with love, don't forget me'. I smiled, tears starting to pool behind my eyes. I really was going to miss them.

Except for Tanya and Irina.

Edward took the drawing from my hands and placed it on my nightstand. "I'll miss them," I whispered.

He nodded his head, brushing away a stray strand of hair from my face. "I know. I'll miss them too."

I frowned at him through my tears. "Tanya, too?" I asked sadly.

Edward laughed, shaking his head. "Definitely not," he retorted, still chuckling.

I smiled, and he tucked me in. "I'm sorry I was late tonight," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed my forehead briefly. "Goodnight, Bella."

"'Night, Edward," I mumbled sleepily, turning to sleep on my side. _I love you_.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alright, so I completely love writing the Denali clan, and I can't wait to write more and develop their characters further. More could be done when Bella's 13, so I think moving to London first was definitely a good choice._

_I'm so sorry the update took so long. Don't kill me._

_The next three chapters are when Bella's 11 years old. Something's going to happen that would bring Bella to the Volturi's attention. Don't worry, no deaths or anything like it. I just find Aro funny in a deranged sort of way. And Jane's intriguing. In a deranged sort of way, too._

_And then, the long awaited 'Bella's-13-Cullens-moving-to-Denali-Edward-finding-out' part of the story. Would you believe it'll be up by Thursday since I'm posting the next 3 episodes by tomorrow??_

_In this chapter, Garrett, Kate's mate, hasn't joined the clan. He only joined in BD. Irina is still a member because she hasn't met Laurent, and hasn't left the clan due to revenge and bitterness. I still don't like her that well. As much as I hate Tanya, I love writing her character. I can't wait for more of her._

_Please review and tell me what you think. Do you love or hate it? Thank you so much and sorry you had to wait for so long…And sorry for yet another way too long A/N._

_Juliet._


	17. Goodbyes

_**A/N:**__ Okay! Here we are. Bella's 10 years going to 11. She's in her last year in England (sorry my British readers, I didn't get to write a lot on England…), as are the Cullens. I need to wrap up some things here._

_I'm sure you remember our little vampire friend Connor. There's a reason to his introduction to the story, as dry as he may seem. He's physically ten years old and have only been out and about for a decade or two…Do you know the reason yet?? No?? Read on and find out._

_The next three chapters is situated in London. After that, we will skip ahead to when Bella and the Cullens are living in Denali. They would have done so since Bella's 11, but I decided to skip two years. Hope you won't mind (judging from the reviews, I know you'll mind if I _don't _skip)._

_So here it goes. Volturi is included, so I'm sorry if I don't write them very well. I'll try my best. Happy reading._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Jasper, Alice_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

It's my last week in England. The Cullens and I would be moving to our new home in Alaska by June.

I'd have to say goodbye to Rebecca and my small group of friends. Even Connor. Yes, he's still around for a little bit. When I first met him, he was posing as a nine year old. Now, he's passing for a twelve year old. He'd have to move soon, too. He'd be moving to Scotland, though, so I won't be able to see much of him, if at all.

Edward seemed pleased about it for some reason. I never understood his dislike for Connor. Every time I asked him, he'd asked me to compare the situation with Tanya. Point taken. Although Connor doesn't have a disgusting crush on me.

Rebecca was throwing a going away party for me. I hated the attention but she was too adamant. She said that we had been best friends for four years, she deserved the right. I think Alice brainwashed her just a little too much all those times she slept over. We were telling people Rebecca was just throwing a party for the fun of it, but I think they knew. Rebecca told me I was being paranoid.

The worst part of it all wasn't saying goodbye to my friends, and our great home in London. It wasn't saying goodbye to the London weather I'd grown so accustomed to. It wasn't even saying goodbye to Connor, and the funny English accents I'd started to enjoy listening to wherever I went.

It was knowing that we were simply miles away from the Denali clan.

I didn't mind Kate, Carmen and Eleazar. We'd visited them once or twice over the years, and we'd had plenty of fun. Carmen taught me a little bit of art every time though I never really captured it as well as she did. I didn't think anyone could. Carmen promised we'd try harder once I moved to Alaska.

Kate was like a blonde version of Alice. But it was okay, even though they forced me to go shopping every time. I secretly liked it. I made Jasper promise not to tell.

Eleazar was still apprehensive of me, but that was because of the Volturi. I had to admit, after hearing him telling me about the Italian vampires, I was, too. Edward said not to worry, he'll protect me. It reminded me of one of those old movies where the knight saves the damsel in distress. The thought always made me laugh.

I sighed as I knocked on Alice's door, wearing my bathrobe. She'd made me swear that I'd let her do my hair and make-up and pick out my dress for the party. She put on that sad puppy dog look that made me feel so guilty about saying no, even though I knew she was just faking it.

The door swung open before my knuckles even touched it. Jasper looked at me amused. I scowled at him. "I don't suppose you could tone it down a little?" I tilted my head towards the room behind him, referring to his gift. Maybe if he could just make her a little less excited…

Jasper shook his head, still smiling. "Alice would kill me," was his reply.

_Coward_, I thought, as he let me in and walked out of the room himself, chuckling to himself. "Vampires," I shook my head.

Alice danced into the room, her face alight with happiness. "I heard that," she sang out, too excited to be offended. I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, let's dry your hair first and get started on it. I already have your dress picked out!"

She started squealing that Alice way. When she starts doing that, even vampires had trouble understanding what she was trying to say, I've been told. What more a mere human like me.

Alice took my hand and dragged me into her huge bathroom. God only knows how many times I'd been pulled in here against my will so Alice could play Bella Barbie. She sat me down in front of the vanity and grabbed a hairdryer. I let out a huge sigh. I had no idea why Alice enjoyed this so much. It felt like torture to me.

But Rebecca was doing this for me. I had to be in my best behavior. Even if it meant letting Alice do all the gruesome work on me for the next few hours.

She ended up giving me curls for the night. I was only eleven, and Rosalie and Esme would kill Alice-figuratively speaking, of course-if she put a lot of make-up on me. That is, if Edward didn't get to her first.

Finally, after an hour and a half, she was done. I think I'd get back problems by the time I'm thirty.

She dashed into the bedroom to get my dress. It was a pink baby doll dress, with spaghetti straps and a black bow at the back. I'd never worn anything like it before. I don't think I could.

"Uh…Alice?" I gulped nervously. I was only eleven. Was I even allowed?

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Don't you want all eyes to be on you?" she demanded. All eyes. On me? The clumsy Bella Hale? No thank you! I shook my head vigorously, panic starting to overwhelm me.

She handed me the dress and took my by the shoulders. "Bella," she said, her tone both disapproving and calming at the same time. "Don't worry about it. Your sister's a psychic. I saw the whole night. No accidents this time," she promised.

It was my turn to roll my eyes at her. No accidents this time? She'd said that for the last five parties she made me go to. Not one of those parties had been accident free.

"Just wear the dress. You'll look amazing. I bought you the perfect shoes to go with it," she said, exuberant once more.

At the mention of shoes, I looked up at her warily. Alice sighed, shaking her head. "No heels, Bella. I promise. They're ballet flats."

Ballet flats. Thank God. She must've brought Rose along with her. Rose wasn't as over eager or as crazy as Alice when it came to shopping.

Alice left the bathroom to allow me to change. She always made a fuss, wondering why she had to leave. In her defense, she'd said, she'd seen me naked since I was six. I'd put a stop to it when I was nine. It was just too embarrassing. Alice was perfect in every way. She was a beautiful pixie vampire. I, on the other hand, was the ugly humans living in what could have been Mount Olympus.

I shrugged off the bathroom and slipped on the dress, careful with my hair and make-up. I didn't want to ruin anything just to have Alice come in and re-do it all. It would take hours.

The bathroom door flung open the moment the dress was on and I gasped. "Alice!" I glared at her. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"Have you ever heard of psychic?" she retorted. "Let me look at you!" She squinted, scrutinizing me to make sure every part of me was the way she imagined, or saw, it to be. When she was finally satisfied, she grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the bathroom. It was time to meet my fate.

Edward was going to drive me to the party. It was at Rebecca's house.

Alice had wanted it to be thrown in our house, but I knew that would only mean Alice would take over. The party would have been way overdone. Edward, Jasper and Emmett would have gone around glaring at every boy that came close to me, thus scaring them all away. I didn't know why they bothered-I wasn't interested in anyone. I was only eleven! Okay, eleven in a few months…

Edward was sitting on the couch, playing yet another video game with Emmett and Jasper. Those three acted like immature children sometimes. "Oh, Bella, you look wonderful!" Esme said, and started snapping pictures.

Yet another reason why I didn't want the party held here. I loved Esme, and the rest of the family. But sometimes they tended to annoy me. And embarrass me. When I confided this to Rose, she'd just laugh and said that it was a pre-teen thing. I'd get over it. It didn't feel like that to me, though.

"Mom!" I said, blushing in embarrassment. Esme only chuckled, and kept snapping photos until Rose took it away.

"Come on, Esme, she'll embarrass herself enough tonight without our help," she smirked, winking playfully at me.

I glared at her, then turned to Edward. "Edward, could we go already? I'd rather have this over with as soon as possible," I muttered.

"Just…A…Minute," he said, distracted, as he continued zapping who knows what on the flat screen.

I sighed, and waited. Finally, Alice had had enough and snatched his controller away. "Alice!" Edward growled. 'Game over' flashed on the screen.

"I spent hours working on her, Edward," Alice snapped. "Get to it!"

Edward has got nothing on Alice's anger.

When he turned to me, however, his eyes widened. "What…On earth are you wearing?" he spluttered. I blushed again and hid behind Rosalie.

Rose shook her head. "You're making her self-conscious, Edward," she warned. As if I couldn't speak for myself. And yes, he really was.

"She should be!" Edward stood up, glaring at Alice. "She's too young for that! Go upstairs," he told me. "Change, or I'm not taking you."

I stepped away from Rose and placed my hands on my hips. "You are _not _the boss of me, Edward Cullen," I snapped.

Emmett and Jasper had stopped staring dejectedly at the screen, and were looking at me open-mouthed, but I didn't care. Edward was treating me as if I was still the six year old he found and I didn't care for it. I heard the click of a camera somewhere to my left.

"If you won't take me, Alice will."

He just stared at me, disbelieving. Alice chuckled, but grabbed my hand. "She's right," she said proudly. "I'll take her. You just sit and enjoy zapping aliens."

We dashed out the door as fast as my human legs could make it. "They're not aliens!" we heard Edward's brilliant reply.

As soon as we were in Alice's Bentley, peeling out of the driveway, we burst out laughing. That was the first time I'd ever stood up to Edward or took a different side, and I loved it. It was exhilarating. My heart was pounding so fast it hurt, but it still felt good.

I wasn't a little girl anymore. And while I wasn't ready to go wild and crazy, I still wanted a little more freedom, a little more independence. I needed to know Edward would trust me to go out and have a little fun without getting harmed. I was, after all, only going to Rebecca's party.

What was the worst that could happen?

******************************************************************************

Rebecca's party was significantly more toned down than any of the Cullens' parties. Just the way I like it. There were balloons, and a snack table, and music and dancing, but I didn't have to mingle, I didn't have to dance, and I had Rebecca to talk to.

"I'm really going to miss you, Bella," Rebecca said quietly, touching my arm. She was a shy girl, just like I was. I guess we fit together because of our personalities. "Promise me you'll e-mail me all the time?"

I nodded my head and smiled. This I would do. I'd miss her greatly, too. "Don't worry," I assured her. "I'll definitely e-mail."

We were both highly uncomfortable talking about feelings, so we just smiled, and said things like how different Alaska would be. I'd told her about Tanya, and her weird ways of getting Edward's attention-through me. Rebecca found it funny.

Jodie, Alex and Donny, our friends from school, came up to meet us. They, too, knew of my departure from London in a week's time. "Bella! It's so sad that you're leaving," Jodie whined.

I grinned. She and I had gotten quite close throughout the years-I'd helped her with English, and she'd helped me with Math. Jodie was a genius when it came to Math. She could have won the Nobel Prize, in my opinion. Give it a few years.

"Aw, I'll miss you, too, Jo," I teased.

The rest of the party I spent talking to my friends, and occasionally to others I wasn't so familiar with. They knew, of course, that I was leaving. It was already all over school, courtesy of Jodie who had been sobbing about it the past month. I ended up with a table full of gifts.

After everyone had left, Jodie, Alex, Donny and I stayed back to help Rebecca and her mom clear up the mess. Rebecca stayed in a two story terrace house. It was pretty amazing, considering her mother was interested in interior design. She and Esme had tea often at our house, or hers whenever Esme dropped me off for a visit.

We still had half an hour before Edward-or Alice-was supposed to come pick me up, so we decided to just sit around and enjoy each other's company. The school semester was already over for this month, and the next few days would be spent packing. Rebecca and I would have one last visit together right before I leave London, but this was pretty much it. I could already feel the tears starting up.

"You won't forget us, would you, Bells?" Donny asked. Aw, sweet boy. He was a bit annoying at first. He had a doctor for a mother, and they were close. So every time he spoke to us, he started talking about bones and guts and whatnot. It turned out that he was just shy, and it was his defense mechanism. He has a crush on Rebecca, though I was told not to say anything. If I were, though, it would be a lot better. Rebecca has a crush on him, too.

"Of course not, Donny. I could never forget any one of you," I said sincerely.

We talked about the crazy times we had-like the time Alex put super glue on the toilet seat to prank a girl we all hated, and ended up slipping and getting stuck herself. It was a pretty hilarious sight.

Finally, the doorbell rang. When Rebecca's mother answered it, Alice came bouncing in the room. "Hey, Bella!" she grinned at me. I smiled back though my stomach dropped at the thought of Edward mad at me. Why else wouldn't he show up? Why else would Alice be the one to pick me up?

"Ready to go?" she asked. I nodded. We all stood up and helped Alice carry the gifts to her car. In truth, she could've carried it all in one hand and still dance around the room like a prima ballerina if she wanted to. But the others couldn't know that.

When all the gifts were in the car, Alice got in to her Bentley to give us some privacy. She could hear every word, though, so it didn't actually matter. Rebecca's mom hugged me and smiled at me. I hugged everyone, saving Rebecca for last.

"Promise one last visit before you leave?" she sniffed.

I nodded my head, waved and got inside the car.

We drove in silence for five minutes while I recollected my thoughts. "Are you okay?" Alice asked quietly.

I shrugged. "It sucks saying goodbye," I said truthfully.

Alice sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella. Our lifestyle…"

I shook my head. "Alice, I wouldn't give it up for anything," I said firmly, giving her a smile. How could she even think that I would give up the Cullens? They were everything to me.

Alice laughed shakily. "I'm supposed to be comforting you," she teased.

I shrugged again, and fell silent. Why wasn't Alice bringing him up? Was he that angry that she didn't even want to mention it to me? Finally, I sighed, and shifted slightly so that my body was angled towards her. "Is he still mad at me?" I asked.

Alice bit her lip, glancing sideways at me, her eyes on the road. I knew this was just so she could avoid answering my question. Alice never looked at the road when she drove. None of the Cullens, except Esme, did. This was what I believed would kill me, ultimately.

"Alice!" I complained.

"Okay, okay!" Alice gave in grudgingly. "He's…Stubborn," she said hesitantly.

I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm not looking for an attitude description," I told her. "I'm asking if he's still mad at me."

"Yes."

I grumbled, and turned away, looking out the window. "Bella, you know he's only like that because, well, he's Edward," she said.

"Don't defend him," I said, leaning my head on the headrest and closing my eyes to rest for a bit. Edward was being childish. This coming from someone he considered a child, must mean something.

Alice wasn't happy that I, too, was angry. But she didn't say anything for the rest of the journey back and for that I was thankful.

When we reached home, Alice carried most of the gifts back inside. I sat on the hood of her car, procrastinating. I wasn't even sure if Edward was home, or if I'd run into him. I just didn't want to take the risk. I had never been mad at him before. Not like this.

It wasn't so much the fact that he was overprotective. That part of him I'd gotten used to. What I hated was the fact that he thought he could just order me around and I'd obey every command like a sick puppy.

I wasn't asking for the right to vote. I wasn't asking for a late curfew. I just wanted him to not look at me like I'm still six. I wanted him to have a little respect. I was growing up, Edward needed to accept that.

I sighed, about ready to head in.

"Bella!"

I turned around and smiled when I saw Connor. He was walking in the driveway, looking around anxiously. I laughed at his expression. "Afraid you'll run into Edward, Connor?" I teased.

The two of them were still on harsh terms. After a while, Connor had given up trying to be on friendly terms with Edward. Instead, every time they saw each other, they just glared.

Connor laughed and straightened up. "Bella, I'm here to say goodbye," he said sadly, standing right in front of me now.

My brows furrowed together. Goodbye. Oh, right. We were both leaving, separating for what might be forever. Going in separate directions. Without my consent, tears started to well in my eyes. It had been one goodbyes too many tonight.

Connor smiled sadly when he saw my tears. "I'm really going to miss you, Bella," he whispered, stepping closer to give me a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, leaning into his embrace.

I felt Connor bury his face in my hair-but this was nothing new. He'd always smelled my hair, always said I'd smelled good. What that meant I couldn't really understand. He'd told me it was a vampire thing. My scent was just really good. I don't know whether I should be flattered or frightened. But Connor was a good friend, so I let him.

"I wish you could come with me, Bells," he mumbled into my hair. "I'd be happy to have you around for eternity."

I stiffened immediately. Eternity. The one thing I wasn't allowed to discuss with Edward, or with anyone, really. Edward threw a fit the last time he found out I'd asked Esme. If it weren't for her, he'd have wrecked half the house. Edward was too sensitive on the matter. I just didn't understand why.

The truth was, I wanted to be like him. I wanted to spend forever with the Cullens. I couldn't imagine a better fate. Edward might see this as a one way ticket to hell, but I saw it as a chance to have a happily ever after.

"I'll miss you, too," I said, pulling back. What I saw shocked me-Connor, with the blackest eyes I'd ever seen. His irises were surrounded by a dark red.

Red.

Edward had told me that red meant blood. Human blood. "If you see a vampire with red eyes, run," he'd told me.

Had Connor been drinking human blood? Had he 'slipped up'?

I started to back away from him, my heart pounding like crazy. I knew he could hear it. I knew he could smell the fear on me. He knew I saw his eyes.

But he didn't let go of me.

"Bella," he pleaded. "Don't be afraid of me. I'm still Connor…I only wanted to make sure I was able to do this. I didn't want to mess it up. You just-your scent…It's incredible. I didn't want to mess up."

I didn't understand any of it. He could have been speaking Urdu for all I knew. I didn't care. All I wanted was to get away from him, and go back into the safety of my own house.

"Connor," I shook my head, trying to reason with him. I didn't know what he wanted from me. I just knew it wasn't a good thing.

He pulled me closer to him, into an embrace, as though we were hugging again. But my arms stayed limp at my sides-I was too frozen in fear to move. I gasped at the sudden movement, and my eyes widened in shock.

"Shh," he whispered into my ear. "This won't hurt a bit."

And then my world went black, the only thing reminding me of tonight was the pinpricks of pain at the side of my neck, and the whispers of a scream.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

"_Bella!"_ I stiffened, my head snapping in the direction of the door. Connor was here, out front, talking to Bella.

I stood up without even thinking, from my spot on the couch, and headed towards the front door.

"Edward," Rosalie warned me. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to glare darkly at her. "Don't give me that look! It's their last chance to say goodbye. Let them be," she snapped.

I hesitated. No matter how many times Connor had been around with Bella, I still didn't trust him. He was too young, mentally and physically, and he was too much of a newborn. He'd only been around for fifteen years as a vampire. He could snap at any moment.

Bella's scent has grown slightly more potent throughout the years. She had even captured my attention, my bloodlust, as much as I hated to admit it. Jasper and I didn't have much trouble being around her because first of all, we'd been partially desensitized by her scent so far, and secondly, she was still young-her scent still wasn't all that strong.

"Edward," Esme jumped in, saying my name in a warning tone.

I sighed, and sat back down. What was the harm in it? After all, it was their last time seeing each other. I couldn't be more than happy about that, actually.

"_Afraid you'll run into Edward, Connor?"_ I heard Bella tease, and I smirked, Jasper and Emmett snickering at my side. If I said so myself, I had been very successful in scaring that little nitwit.

I tuned out the rest of their conversation, not wanting to hear their heartfelt goodbyes. I didn't feel guilty for Connor and Bella never seeing each other again.

I did, however, felt guilty for Bella having to say goodbye to her friends from school. I knew she had gotten close to a small group of people, especially Rebecca. The girl seemed quite nice, too, from what I've observed.

I knew it must have been hard for Bella to say goodbye to them at the party. I'd wanted to go pick her up and comfort her, but I was too angry with her for not listening to me, for blatantly ignoring my wishes and leaving in that dress anyway. And I knew she was still angry with me too because Bella was just plain stubborn.

Still, I wished Bella had a normal life, instead of the one I had. She would have to say goodbye to a lot more people along the way until she could live on her own. Then she'd have to say goodbye to us. It would hurt her never to see us again, I knew that. She was an integral part of the family. It would hurt us, too. It would hurt me.

But that was the selfish part of me talking. I couldn't allow Bella to be a part of this life. She meant too much. She could have a nice, normal human life, the way she was supposed to. She could grow up, go to school, maybe get a doctorate or two, have a nice career, a lovely family, children…All things that would almost be impossible if she were one of us.

What if she'd wanted to write a book? Or be a musician? Or do something else that required attention? She couldn't be able to do that because it'd draw too much unwanted attraction. People would wonder why she never aged. They would wonder why she suddenly disappeared. And when she showed up at a high school a few years later, they would recognize her as well. The Volturi won't be happy. In fact, they would ensure it was the end of her.

No, she deserved to be happy. I wouldn't do this to her.

And then my world came crashing to a halt.

"Bella," Alice whispered. I turned to look at her, just in time to see her get that faraway look in her eyes that meant she was getting a vision. I looked into her thoughts to see what she was seeing about Bella's future.

"_This won't hurt a bit," Connor said, as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck. Bella froze, her eyes wide and in pain. "Edward," she whispered, her eyes rolling back as her life was taken from her, little by little._

I gave a enraged roar and dashed out the door, not caring that I had crashed through the closed door and had let it crumble to the floor in splinters.

I ran to the driveway, where Connor was in the same position as he had been in Alice's vision. Bella saw me approaching, and I screamed her name. But she had closed her eyes, slipping into the unconscious.

I grabbed Connor by his shirt and yanked him off of Bella. He ended up being thrown across the lot towards Esme's garden. He recovered as quickly as if it had never happened, getting to his feet and crouching into position, poised to attack. I didn't have time to check on Bella as she collapsed on the floor.

I crouched as well, glaring menacingly at Connor, and giving a feral growl. His eyes were red, with my Bella's blood. This only served to make me angrier.

By this time, the entire family had approached us. Carlisle went straight to Bella, knowing the rest of us would deal with Connor. They formed a semi-circle with me, around Bella, facing Connor. They were all poised to attack. Their worried and angry thoughts attacked me, but I didn't let my guard down once.

Connor, deranged with the need for blood-_Bella's _blood-lunged forward, but I swiped at him, and he fell to the ground. It didn't even hinder him as he got back on his feet, attacking Jasper this time. Jasper growled, and got him in a chokehold around the neck.

Wrong move, Connor.

Jasper was a militant-he'd dealt with newborns all the time. Connor wasn't even half as strong as they were.

Suddenly, two other figures appeared so quickly it was as if they'd materialized there on our driveway. It was Matt and Hailey.

"Let go of our son," Matt growled, his eyes sweeping past the driveway. I heard a flicker of fear in his thoughts as he considered going up against a coven of seven vampires.

"He attacked my daughter," Esme snapped angrily, taking a step forward.

Hailey actually took a step back before regaining some of her confidence and standing her ground. As if that would deter Esme. As if that would save her from Esme's grip. She had harmed a Cullen.

We wouldn't stand for that.

"And you're attacking my son," Matt snapped. _Maybe I should convince them to let Connor go, then we leave. Seven vampires is too much for us. But they wouldn't…Think, Matt, think. We need a game plan here!_

Hailey wasn't faring any better. _My baby. Oh, my baby. Why did he have to be so stupid? Oh, God, I never should've let him come here so often. I bet it was her idea in the first place…_

I snarled at Hailey and her eyes widened in fear.

Without warning-or so they thought-Matt attacked Jasper, who was still crushing Connor's windpipe. Not that he needed it. Alice saw it in her vision, and I saw it in her head.

It was why I stepped in front of Jasper and threw him a punch. Hailey stepped into the fight, taking on Esme and Rosalie, but she never got far. Matt was right. We were seven vampires-six, if you excluded Carlisle who was working on Bella frantically-and they were no match for us.

It didn't take long before Emmett and I had Matt pinned to the floor, and Esme and Rosalie had Hailey pinned. Alice was by Carlisle's side, holding Bella's hand and glancing around worriedly. Jasper still had Connor swiping at him, trying to get away from his iron grip.

"What do I do with it?" Jasper asked, disgust in his voice.

I turned to look Matt straight in the eyes as I answered. "Destroy it," malice dripped from each word.

Alice bounced from Carlisle's side to help Jasper. Matt and Hailey struggled against us, but they were no match. They had been around for a shorter time than us-we had more strength, more power. And Emmett, of course.

Jasper held Connor by the shoulders, pinning him so that he couldn't move, while Alice, anger glinting in her eyes, reached out and pulled his head off of his shoulders. The keening sound of it suddenly broke off, leaving only Hailey's anguished screams, and Matt's incoherent threats.

"She's lost a lot of blood!" Carlisle shouted. I snapped towards him, where he was trying desperately to stem the blood flow. Alice moved back to Bella's side immediately. Our distraction was all it took for Matt and Hailey to push us off of them and make their escape.

A part of me wanted to chase after them, but Bella needed my attention more.

"Leave it!" I yelled to Emmett, who was already making his way to run after them. "Bella comes first!"

We agreed, and ran to her side.

And then the unimaginable happened.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I felt satisfaction run through me as Connor's head was ripped from his body. I gave Alice a grim smile, to show her I was proud of her, yet disgusted at the situation. We had allowed Connor into our home, allowed him to be around Bella. And he had turned around and stabbed us in the back by attacking her. How dared he?

Carlisle called for our attention, saying that Bella had lost a lot of blood. Matt and Hailey escaped because we were distracted. Emmett and I were about to give chase, but Edward called us back. Bella came first. She always did.

I spoke quietly to Emmett, asking him to guard Connor's body. He'd have to rip it to shreds and burn it so Matt and Hailey couldn't come back and sow him back together. Vampires weren't easy to kill. Ripping us apart and burning us was the only sure fire way.

Emmett nodded his head solemnly and got to work. I moved away and went to crowd around Bella, like the others. I didn't need to see this. I could already smell the smoke coming from the garden, where Emmett was burning the shreds of Connor's corpse.

A smell hit me. Delicious. Mouthwatering. What was it? Freesia?

My senses snapped back, and slapped me hard.

Freesia.

Oh, God, no-Bella!

I'd just hunted a few days ago, but my strength was fading. I could already see myself pushing Carlisle aside, gripping Bella to me, sinking my teeth in her neck…

"Jazz, no," Alice whispered, horrified. She must've seen my fantasies. I must have decided on it. I couldn't stop myself now. I was beyond emotion. I was beyond remorse. I was beyond love. All I wanted was her blood, her warm blood, gushing down my throat, quenching my thirst, ending the urge.

Without thinking, I lunged forward.

I never got to her-Edward pinned me down, throwing me about ten feet back. Emmett, already done burning Connor's remains, ran to us. His eyes widened as he realized what I must have done, and helped Edward to contain me as I struggled against their hold.

"Jazz, come on, man," Emmett pleaded. He wanted me to come back to my senses. I wanted it, too. I wanted to remember my family, my love, my life.

But I couldn't. My want, my _need_, for her blood was too strong.

Carlisle took Bella in his arms and rushed inside the house. My wild eyes followed them inside. Edward and Emmett brought me to my feet, and ran with my still between them. I struggled but my bloodlust had weakened me, and their resolve had strengthened them.

They ran with me all the way to our normal hunting ground in London. We came across a few bears, and they pushed me towards them. I ravaged them, drinking from them as fast and as hungrily as possible.

When I was done with three, I stopped, panting on the ground.

What have I done?

Bella, our Bella, had been bitten, hurt, and I'd tried to finish the job. My body wrecked with dry sobs as I realized the monster within me.

I had grown to treat Bella like my own sister, but I'd forgotten all of that and succumbed to my bloodlust. If Alice hadn't seen it, if Edward and Emmett hadn't been there, I would have killed her.

Oh, God. What have I done?

"Jazz," I heard Emmett's pained voice from behind me. I stiffened, my sobs subsiding. I'd forgotten they were there. "Come on, let's go home."

Home. I couldn't go back. They'd kill me. They'd shun me. Bella would hate me. Alice. I was pretty sure I'd lost Alice.

"She was concerned for you," Edward said quietly. "She still is. Let's go home, Jasper. You're stable enough."

Stable enough. Like I was the mentally ill. I could have been, I might as well have been, the mentally ill, the way I'd lunged for her.

Would everyone even forgive me? Would Edward? She meant more to him that she meant to every single one of us combined. Even Esme and Rose. Would he forgive me for doing this?

I heard Edward sigh, no doubt hearing my jumbled thoughts. Mind readers. "It's who we are, Jasper, no one could deny that. You had a moment of weakness. It's understandable," he said.

I bowed my head, taking deep breaths. I felt Emmett's big hand on my shoulder and looked up into his pained, sympathetic eyes. I took in another deep breath then took his hand, standing up on shaky feet.

I nodded once to show that I was ready and alright to go back. We started to run back, but Edward stopped me. "I said it was understandable. But do it again, and I myself will end you."

I stared at him. I would have been disbelieving, but knowing what I know, seeing them together, I was more than sure it wasn't an empty threat.

And I deserved it, too.

So I nodded my head once more. "I know," I said quietly.

We ran back home, back to my downfall.

******************************************************************************

Edward rushed up the stairs to Bella's room where Carlisle was still attending to her the moment we stepped through the doors. Emmett ran to Rosalie, wrapping her in his big arms. I stood in front of Alice, unsure how to act.

To my surprise, she ran at me, wrapping her small arms around my waist. She was sobbing into my chest. "God, Jazz," she whispered once she'd calmed down enough to talk. "If I didn't have my visions to tell me you were okay, I'd have died worrying."

She wasn't angry at me. Bless her pixie mind. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and buried my face in her spiky hair. "I love you," I whispered into her hair. "Please, please forgive me. I'm so sorry," I was sobbing again. I couldn't help myself.

How could I have been so monstrous?

Alice pulled back and placed her hands on either side of my face. "Jazz, it wasn't your fault," she said seriously. "You didn't touch her-" I opened my mouth to argue this point, but she shook her head, pressing her hand against my mouth to stop me. "No, Jasper. It's not your fault. You need to believe that. You're new at this, it's only reasonable that you would react that way."

I sighed. I didn't have it in me to argue with her. She was so desperate to believe the good in me. I wanted to be that man she fell in love with. I had to give her that. She deserved it.

So I merely nodded my head, give her what was supposed to be a convincing smile, and pulled her closer to me. Alice, understanding my need, stood on her toes and crashed her lips against mine. I stayed that way, just feeling the love between us radiating from her, flowing through me, for as long as I could.

When we finally pulled back, we were both panting heavily. I rested my forehead against hers. "Thank you," I smiled at her.

"I love you, too," she grinned back at me, pecking my lips once more.

Then we succumbed to our worries for Bella.

******************************************************************************

Carlisle had come into the living room an hour after my return, and told us that Bella was resting. She would wake up tomorrow morning, because he'd given her morphine to dull the pain. Connor's bite had drawn her blood, but he hadn't had time to pump in his venom into her bloodstream so no irreversible damage was done.

Edward stayed by her side the entire night, and the rest of us were restless enough. We visited her, one by one, Edward never leaving the room. I was too guilt-ridden to actually enter the room.

The scent of her blood lingered faintly in the air, but I wasn't tempted by it as I had been just hours before.

Dawn was approaching fast. Esme was busy in the kitchen, making Bella some of her chicken noodle soup. That reminded me of the time Emmett had tried his hand at it when she was sick.

Instead of making me laugh, it only intensified the pain I was feeling. Thank God no one else in the room was an empath. The emotions I felt were killing me enough. But my emotions were the strongest. They overrode all others.

Finally, I heard Bella stir. _"Edward?" _I heard her mumble.

"_It's me, Bella. I'm right here. You're alright,"_ he whispered back.

The others were already on their way up. I heard Esme moving faster in the kitchen, trying to hurry up. I took in a deep breath and stood up.

Alice was waiting for me by the stairs. "It'll be alright, Jazz," she whispered, taking my hand in hers. _God, I love this woman_.

I walked tentatively inside Bella's room. The others were already crowded around her. Edward was sitting in a chair beside her bed, holding her hand. Rosalie had crawled under the covers next to her. Emmett was sitting on the edge of her bed, and Carlisle was bending over her, checking her vitals.

I took in a shaky breath. I could still smell her blood, of course, but I was under control. This time, my love for her as my sister, my love for my family and my love for Alice kept me grounded. I just felt so remorseful of my actions.

Bella noticed Alice and I and smiled widely. "Alice, Jasper!" she called out. Then she frowned. "Why are you standing so far away?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Why on earth did she have to be so observant.

I took another tentative step forward. I could sense Alice's excitement to be closer to Bella, to hug her, and kiss her and tell her about a shopping trip that would surely 'cure' everything. But she stayed by my side, knowing that I needed her.

I brought Alice's hand, entwined with mine, to my lips and kissed her knuckles. Then I let her go. Alice shot me a smile, and bounced on the bed, making it shake. Bella gasped in surprise. "We have to go shopping!" Alice squealed. "It'll make you feel better!"

Bella stared at her as if she had grown another head. "No it won't," she said truthfully. Alice chose to ignore that, and went on about the new line at GapKids.

I took another step back, and Edward shot me a warning look. I sent a calming wave through the room, mainly to calm myself more than anything. I sat down gingerly on the edge of Bella's bed. "Bella," I started. Her wide chocolate eyes looked me, waiting for me to say something. Anything.

With my vampire speed, I reached out and crushed her to me. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. I felt her small, fragile, human arms wrap around my neck, hugging me back.

When I finally released her, Bella smiled at me. "For what?" she asked, confused.

"I…" I didn't want to keep my near slip up from her. She deserved to know the truth. "When Connor bit you," I said. Bella made a face at that, but she waited for me to continue. I sensed a tiny bit of fear at that, but I knew that Emmett had told her about getting rid of Connor. She was mostly curious to know what I'd say next.

"Jasper, maybe you shouldn't," Rosalie said.

But I needed to tell her. I needed to ask her to forgive me.

"I almost lost control," I whispered. Bella looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes widened as she realized what I meant. "I almost hurt you…I'm so sorry."

Bella was silent for a moment. Her emotions ranged from shock to sadness to love. I searched her eyes, waiting to see what she would say, how she would react. _Say something, Bella!_

"But you didn't hurt me," she said slowly.

"Only because Edward and Emmett held me back," I said remorsefully. I turned my head away from her, sadness overtaking me again.

I felt Bella's presence, smelled her freesia scent washing over me. I felt the tiniest bit of the monster rising within me, but I quelled it almost instantly. She was more important. Bella climbed on my lap, and wrapped her uninjured arm around my neck. "You didn't hurt me," she said again. "That's what matters, Jazz," she leaned forward to peck my cheek.

I closed my eyes, hugging her to me, burying my face in her hair. Sweet Bella. How on earth did our family get so lucky to be blessed by her? To be graced by her?

"You're asking me," Edward chuckled.

I looked up and smiled slightly at me. He returned it.

The last bit of my guilt faded away, but I knew that I needed to be on my guard. Nothing would justify hurting Bella. I loved her. She was a part of this family. More than she even realized. I couldn't allow myself to hurt her.

Edward frowned, probably at my thoughts. He opened his mouth to ask me what I meant, but I was saved by Esme, waltzing into the room with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a relieved smile.

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

No one had left Bella's room for the past five hours. Not even Carlisle. He had called in sick at the hospital. His daughter needed him.

She had recounted the events of her party to us, and Rosalie had asked her about boys. Bella had, typically, blushed. Edward had growled. Bella said she wasn't interested in boys. Well, that was understandable. She was only eleven. Soon. I wondered when she would get her first crush, or her first boyfriend…It would be interesting to see.

Bella had had two helpings of Esme's chicken noodle soup. She had been famished, and Esme couldn't be happier. Oh, the simple things that brought joy to our mother.

I, of course, was planning our next shopping trip…Maybe I should bring her out of London. It was the holidays, after all. And she wouldn't have to start school until September. It was barely June. I knew we had to unpack and get settled in Alaska, but it didn't require three months to do.

Maybe New York? Or Paris?

I was getting excited, and even Bella was eyeing me warily. I couldn't be bothered by that. I would change her mind about shopping. She was merely a child. She'd grow to love it, I know it!

Then my mind blanked, the way it always did before a vision struck me.

_Black robes flowed around their feet as they glided across the grass. Their cloaks hid their faces. They entered the house, eight fearful pair of eyes on them. The one in front lifted his hood and it fell back, revealing the red eyes and wide grin. "Carlisle, good to see you again," he said. "Aro," Carlisle said, his voice friendly but strained. "What brings you here?"_

The vision quickly shifted to a different part of the visit.

"_She doesn't belong. She's human. It's over, Carlisle." Cloaks cascaded around, fists clashed, screams were heard. Bella's frightened pleas. And then it all went dark._

I gasped, snapping out of it. Everyone had their eyes trained on me, aware that I'd just gotten another vision. By the expression on my face, I'm sure they knew it hadn't been a good one.

But my eyes were trained on Edward, clutching Bella to his chest as if his life depended on it, his eyes wild as they mirrored my own shock and fear.

"The Volturi," I whispered.

______________________________________________________________________________

_I'm evil, I know. I'm sorry to leave it hanging like this, but remember that the next two chapters are on their way today, so no worries._

_Tomorrow we move on to when Bella's 13._

_To Capella85, I hope there's enough conflict and cliff-hangers in this one. I know it's not much but I couldn't really factor in those things earlier. I have enough for the future, though, so please keep reading. And yes, I do enjoy your review. As much as I love short ones that acknowledge my readers liked it, I enjoyed long ones even more._

_To AgnesJean, thank you. Your review meant a lot._

_To JasperXRoseXEdward, yes, she's 7 going on 8 in chapter 16. Here she's 11. In chapter 18, she will be 13. Sorry if it's confusing._

_To TheVenomRunsThruMe, I'm really sorry I had you waiting for so long._

_To ..Attic, the Cullens giving Bella the sex talk…I might just use the idea…It was bound to happen when Bella starts dating. LOL. I think that would be funny, though. Thank you for your support._

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. But I received 102 reviews for chapter 15, and only 46 for chapter 16?? Come on, you're killing me here!!!_

_Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you!!!_

_Juliet._


	18. The Volturi

_**A/N: **The second part of Bella at 11. Third and last part coming soon. Bella at 13 tomorrow!!!_

_**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all._

_**POVs:** Edward, Emmett, Bella_

________________________________________________________________________________

_Emmett's POV_

"Alice, Alice, calm down!"

Carlisle was shaking her gently by the shoulders although his panic was starting to show. Jasper was shooting wave after wave of serenity throughout the room, but I knew my brother-he was as scared as she was.

The Volturi.

I've never met them in person, but I've heard stories. Rumors. And Carlisle had lived with them for a period of time.

They were human blood drinkers. They lived in Volterra, Italy. They had a castle. They had an army. And they were royalty.

Alice must have seen something horrible for her to be in such a bad state. She was barely moving. She just kept staring at Edward and Bella, and Edward kept staring at her, openmouthed. Bella just looked frightened.

That's when inspiration hit. "Stop it!" I shouted at them both, my loud voice making Bella jump. "You're scaring Bella!"

Both of them snapped out of it quickly, and Carlisle and Jasper both shot me grateful looks. Alice was dry sobbing now, clutching onto Jasper.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. How could this happen?" she asked, not really looking for an answer. Jasper held on to her tightly and rubbed her back soothingly. I exchanged worried glances with Rose, Carlisle and Esme.

"Come on, guys, what's going on?" Rose asked, looking from Alice to Edward worriedly.

"The Volturi are coming," Edward whispered, still not blinking from the shock of Alice's vision. "And they're here for Bella."

All eyes snapped to Bella, and she glanced around, confused, blushing. "For me?" she asked, puzzled. "Why?"

"You're human, Bella," Alice said gently, her sobs slowly subsiding. I think Jasper was to thank for that. "Remember what we said about them protecting the secret that vampires exist? You're not supposed to know. You're not-not supposed to be here," her voice broke.

Bella turned to Edward, her seraphic face troubled. "Edward! They're going to take me away? You can't let that happen!" She was frantic, clutching at his shirt, rumpling them as she fisted the material.

Edward shook his head, shushing her, kissing her forehead. It seemed to me like a private moment as they stared at each other, concerned over the coming issue. I turned my head away and looked at Alice worriedly.

"What do we do?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Alice shook her head, her bottom lip trembling from the effort to keep from sobbing again. "There's nothing to do but go through with it," she said apologetically, as if this was her fault.

Edward turned his razor sharp eyes on her. "You have to be joking," he glared. "I am _not _putting Bella at risk. We leave, we run, we escape. We _don't _put her in danger."

Alice shook her head, standing up to start pacing. "You don't understand, Edward. No matter where we go, they find us. The longer the chase, the angrier they get, the worse the consequences-"

"Worse than dying?" Edward asked harshly. Bella gasped, and started to shake, trembling in fear.

"That's enough!" Rosalie snapped, getting off the bed. She stalked over to where Bella was, and took her from Edward. "You will not discuss this in front of her," she hissed menacingly at Edward. Surprisingly, Edward didn't retaliate. He simply bowed his head, as if he was ashamed at his actions.

Rosalie turned away from him and looked down at Bella. "Let's get you cleaned and changed, Bella," she said, smiling tightly.

Bella looked back at Edward, worried, but he smiled at her, too. "Don't worry, Bella," he said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'll protect you, remember?" Bella gave a shaky laugh, and Edward dropped her hand.

The room was silent as we watched Rose take Bella out and into the bathroom. I turned back to them as soon as they were out of sight. Carlisle begun speaking in low, hushed tones. "What exactly did you see, Alice? Don't leave out any details," he commanded.

I listened in horror as Alice recounted her vision. I listened to her tell us about the cloaks, the guards, the fight. I knew Rose could hear us in the bathroom, but I was glad that Bella couldn't. I was glad that Rose had taken her out of the room. I didn't want to see her reaction to this.

I was barely functioning right now, too stricken in horror and grief of what's to come.

******************************************************************************

"How much time do we have?" Edward barked as we hurried down the stairs. We were planning our escape, away from London, away from civilization.

Alice had warned us that they would find us anyway, but Edward was being Edward. He didn't care. He was too stubborn.

And this time, I was with him.

I didn't want Bella to get hurt. If she died, it would be the downfall of this family. I knew that. I was already too attached to her, just like the others. She was my little sister. If she died, I wouldn't be able to spend eternity going through the same routines. I wouldn't be able to live in the same place as the others, to see their grieving faces. I wouldn't be able to face Esme, or Rose for that matter. Edward would be too guilt-ridden.

Everyone would fall apart. She held us together now, no matter how young, no matter how tiny she was.

We were going to take our cars and drive as far as possible. At first we thought we'd go to Scotland, or maybe even back to Forks. Somewhere the Volturi wouldn't expect. Maybe even someplace sunny, like California. We'd have to stay in, but it was worth it if it saved Bella's life.

But then we thought going to Denali seemed a more appropriate place. We have friends there who would no doubt help us protect Bella. They would help us reason and, if the need arose, fight the Volturi.

It might not be much. The Volturi were the most powerful vampires around. But we couldn't allow Alice's vision to come true.

"Not much," Alice yelled back. "We have a few hours at most, we have to go now!" Just as we headed towards the garage, Alice stopped us. "Wait!" she screeched.

We turned to find her having another vision. Edward gasped as he saw what she saw in his mind. I rolled my eyes. It was getting frustrating how the two of them had these silent conversations together.

"What!?" I bellowed, anxious to know.

Alice turned her fearful gaze on me. "They're here," she whispered.

Icy shivers slipped down my spine as the front door burst open. All of us turned to 'welcome' our 'guests'. Bella was whimpering in fear, buried in Edward's chest as he held her close. I stepped in front of them, Jasper on my right, Rosalie on my left.

I watched the Volturi appeared before us, black cloaks, just like Alice mentioned. "Carlisle, good to see you again," said the one in front, the hood of his cloak dropping back.

I stared in disgust at his red eyes and his warm smile. He had come here to destroy us, to kill Bella, and yet here he was greeting Carlisle like an old friend.

I turned my head slightly to see Carlisle smile back a little. "Aro," his one word greeting was strained. "What brings you here?"

Aro's laugh sent shivers down my spine. I narrowed my eyes at him, then relaxed my facial muscles as I remembered what Carlisle told us about them. Aro might be on good terms with him, but the others weren't too happy. Especially now. The guards won't let an opportunity to strike a fight with us go.

I scanned the others as they let their cloaks fall back. There were five of them all together. Aro, a small girl around the age of fourteen I think, a boy that looked like he could be here twin and two other males. I thought back to what Carlisle had told us about them. The girl must be Jane. The one who could create the illusion of pain. I shuddered just thinking about the stories Carlisle had told us about. I didn't know much about the other three males.

Aro must have seen us looking at the others apprehensively. He clapped his hand together, and turned to his entourage. "How rude of me!" he cried jubilantly. "I brought my coven over and didn't even introduce them!"

Was this guy for real? He came all the way here to kill us, and he thought it was rude not to make pleasantries first? Twisted. Real twisted.

He clapped a hand on the shoulder of the girl. "This is Jane," he said fondly, smiling down at her. "That's Alec, her twin brother." Wow, did I nail that or what? "And this is Demetri and Felix."

Aro turned back to look at Carlisle. "Surely you remember them," he said, crimson eyes piercing.

Carlisle looked like he would flinch if it didn't cause Aro immense pleasure to see us in discomfort and pain. "This is all very…_Nice_, Aro," he said, pained. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm still wondering what you are doing here."

Aro laughed again, and glided over to where he first stood. "Bella, of course," he said amusedly, eyes dragging over to where Bella was shivering in Edward's arms. "We've heard so much about you," he said as he drifted closer.

I stood my ground, refusing to move.

Aro found this amusing.

"The human girl who managed to not only find herself in the midst of vampires, but somehow get them to protect her to such…Extreme measures," he clucked his tongue. "Remarkable."

My brows furrowed. "Extreme measures?" I asked, without thinking.

Aro nodded his head, suddenly excited. "You see, just mere hours ago, I received two very interesting vampires, quite new to our world. They were angered at your coven, Carlisle. Something about their son…"

I stared at him in horror. Matt and Hailey? They had informed the Volturi about this? Oh, God! I _knew _I should've gone after them!

"We had every right, Aro," Carlisle said. "They harmed one of us."

"Ah, but that's just it, isn't it?" Aro smiled. "She isn't one of yours. She's one of _them_."

It didn't take a genius to figure out he was talking about humans.

Edward started to speak, his voice stiff. "She would never reveal us," he assured Aro.

Aro shrugged. "I don't indulge myself in promises. More often than not they come up empty. I want to see results," he said, baring his teeth at Bella, whose eyes widened slightly.

Who the hell does this guy think he is? I felt a low growl in the back of my throat. And then suddenly, I was on my knees, blinding pain shooting through me. Good God, I was on fire! I'd never felt like this since my transformation. I pressed my palms on the floor, unseeing as I gasped. If I could have vomited blood, I would have.

"Stop!" I heard Rose shriek, and then her cool hands were on my skin. It was the tiniest distraction from the pain, but I was already near giving up.

"That's enough, Aro," Carlisle's voice rang with authority.

I heard Aro's chuckle, and then the pain subsided. I gasped, looking up to a very amused Aro and a smug Jane. "I bet you didn't even realize you screamed," Jane sang out.

Bella was sobbing into Edward's chest, her trembling more prominent. I knew she was scared out of her mind, and worried for me. "Bella," I gasped. She didn't turn around, too scared of what she'll find. "Bella, it's okay," I croaked out, letting Rosalie help me to my feet. "I'm fine. I'm Emmett, remember?"

Bella sniffed, then turned to look at me slightly. Seeing me on my feet cheered her up a little, but she cringed back when Aro moved forward.

"I want to see her, Carlisle. See what she's seen," he said, his eyes never leaving Bella.

"No, I'm afraid I can't allow that, Aro," Carlisle said, as pleasantly as he could through gritted teeth. "She is but a child."

"I won't harm her," Aro smiled. "You know how my gift works, Carlisle, I'm surprised at this."

Right. Because he came in here acting like a psycho with a deranged sadistic girl with him and he expected what? A red carpet?

Carlisle looked at Edward, and they seemed to have a silent conversation. I knew they were deciding on what to do with Bella.

I hoped to God, if He exists, that they would find a way to protect her.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Bella was scared, afraid for Emmett. She had never seen him like that, screaming in pain, down on his knees. She kept sobbing into my chest, and I could do nothing but hold her.

I wished I could do more. I wished I could kill Jane, or whisk Bella away from here. I didn't want her to see this, or hear it. Emmett's screams would forever be embedded in her mind.

I was supposed to be protecting her, not giving her nightmares.

"It's going to be okay," I whispered to her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Shh, Bella, please, don't cry." For some reason, that only made her cry harder.

Finally Jane stopped, and Emmett stood up shakily with Rosalie's help. He tried to convince her to look at him, and she finally did.

Then Aro stepped forward and she cringed back into me. Aro wanted to see her, touch her and see her every thought. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let Bella be violated.

_Edward_, I heard Carlisle's voice. I turned to look at him, my black eyes pinning him, daring him to say something I wouldn't like. But he was my father, in all sense but biological. He had more authority.

_If you don't let him, all hell breaks loose. We have to avoid Alice's vision at all costs. Be as co-operative as possible without compromising too much. Please, Edward. It's not pleasant, but we have to think of Bella._

Think of Bella. That was all I did anymore. For the past four years, all I'd done was think of her, make her happy, see her smile. All I wanted was for her to be safe. My world revolved around her.

But Carlisle was right. If we don't let Aro see her thoughts, he would just get agitated. I'd met Aro once before, when he'd offered me a position as a Volturi guard. He was very interested in my gift.

I couldn't have been more repulsed.

So I gave a tiny nod. As Aro drifted closer, Bella's heartbeat sped up. She looked at me, terror plainly etched on her angelic face. Her brown eyes were tinged red from crying so hard. Her fragile arms tightened around me.

"Don't worry, Bella," I whispered, touching my lips to her forehead. "I'm here."

Her heartbeat didn't slow as Aro reached out with one finger, and touched her arm. His smug smile disappeared, only to be replaced by the most frustrated frown. _I can't read her thoughts. Why can't I? This isn't…This has never happened before. Why? How?_

I was about to rejoice when Aro's thoughts went another direction. _Maybe Jane could affect her_.

"Jane, dear?" he said, turning around.

"NO!" I growled, turning around and shielding Bella from Jane's sight. I felt the blinding pain a moment before I dropped to my knees, Bella still clutching to me.

"Edward?" she whispered, frozen in shock beneath me. I refused to make a sound. Bella didn't need to hear this. She'd heard Emmett's screams of pain and it had traumatized her. I couldn't do the same to her.

"Edward?" she whispered again. I felt water on my cheeks, and realized that I had my head bowed, pressed against her cheek. She was crying again. She didn't need to hear me scream to know I was in pain. I was already unable to respond, already looking so pained.

I'm so sorry, Bella, I wanted to yell out. But I couldn't. Every nerve in my body was on fire. All I saw was white. Endless white.

"Jane? Let's not get carried away…" Aro's voice called out.

The pain disappeared, but I was panting. Slowly, I reached out and wrapped my arms around Bella tightly. She kissed me on the cheek, worried. "Edward?" she asked again.

I lifted my head and gave her a small smile. "You're alright, Bella," I whispered.

I didn't know what to do. If I turned around, Bella in my arms, Jane would attack her. But I couldn't stay on the ground forever.

"Get up," Demetri growled.

I reluctantly did so.

"You're very brave, Edward," Aro chuckled. "To endure in silence. I asked Jane to do that to me once-just out of curiosity."

God I hoped he was in the worst kind of pain when that happened.

I saw Jane direct her gaze at Bella, but I couldn't move in time. I waited, flinching, for Bella to scream. It was the worst experience in my life, to know that my Bella would be in pain. That she would be tortured.

But she didn't scream. She just stared back at Jane, confused and fearful.

The room was silent, until Jane screamed out in frustration. Aro chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't be disheartened, Jane. I, too, was unable to penetrate her mind," he mused.

_She could be a threat to our kind. Or she could be an asset…_

An asset? Was he planning on taking Bella away from us? He couldn't possibly do that. But then again, he _was _Aro, and this _was _the Volturi. They would do anything they deemed right to protect our secret.

"Edward, I'm curious," Aro said, tapping his chin with a chalky finger. "Can you read her mind?"

I shook my head, not daring to say anything out loud. If I were to speak, my words would drip with insolence and malice. Jane would no doubt inflict pain on me again, and it would be enough to send Bella hurtling over the edge.

"Hmm," he came closer again. I gripped Bella to me closer. "May I?" he held out a finger.

_It's alright, Edward_, Carlisle thought to me reassuringly.

I took a deep breath and held out my palm. Aro placed his finger on my palm, and I felt him sifting through my memories, looking at my very first memory of Bella, in that dreadful wreckage, to my last one of her whispering my name, afraid Jane had hurt me too much.

Finally, he took his finger away, laughter shaking his body. "Interesting!" he exclaimed. "I'm not Marcus, but even I can tell the tenor of your relationship," he said gliding over to stand next to Demetri.

All was silent for a moment. Aro kept his eyes fixed on Bella and I. I couldn't see anything in his mind because Aro had learnt a long time ago how to block his mind from telepaths like me. I hated the way he was looking at us, as if he was regarding an experiment instead of people. Of course, 'people' might be a loose term in regards to me…

"Let's strike a deal," he smiled.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I keep telling myself to stay calm.

I would never have done it without Edward holding me or Jasper sending calming waves at me every few minutes.

Aro scared me-he had blood red eyes, even worse than Connor's, and his skin looked papery, like it would crumble. He laughed at everything and he seemed so happy about the fact that Jane could hurt Edward and Emmett without even touching them.

I wanted nothing more than for the five of them to leave. I wanted to just be with my family, safe and happy and looking forward to tomorrow. I'd even suffer through years of Tanya. I didn't care. I just wanted to be away from Aro, Jane and the other two.

"Let's strike a deal," Aro said, smiling widely. I shivered at that. Whenever he smiled, it was the opposite of a good thing. How could one person be so evil?

Edward started shaking his head, Alice gasping. Maybe he'd read whatever Aro planned in his mind, and Alice saw it in her vision.

They had all the cool powers.

"Bella knows too much about our world," Aro said.

I saw Carlisle open his mouth to say something, but Aro held up a hand to silence him. Surprisingly, Carlisle stopped. I gaped at him. Carlisle never took orders from someone else. He was always the one telling people what to do. He's the dad.

"I only see two options here. One, Bella dies tonight," he shifted his gaze back at me.

Die? Tonight? No, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave. I might go to heaven. I don't know where that was, but I might reach there if I died. I might see my parents again.

But I didn't want to. Not right now.

I wanted to stay with Edward, and the Cullens. I wanted a long life with them. I wanted to be happy. I even wanted to see Kate again, even though that might mean I'd have to shop with her and Alice for hours.

I couldn't help the small sob from escaping my mouth. Aro smiled at that, pleased. I would have scowled at him, had I not been too terrified to do so.

"Or she has to be changed."

I stopped sobbing. Changed? Did he mean I'd have to be a vampire? That I didn't quite mind, actually. I would get to spend forever with the Cullens. I'd get to have forever with Edward, my best friend. What could be better?

"No," Edward said flatly. His rejection shot through me like a bullet. "Bella will stay human."

Carlisle tried to be pleasant, still. "Aro, she's only a child…"

Aro laughed, shaking his head. "A deadline, then, if you will!" he cried happily. "By her eighteenth birthday. I want her changed."

Edward must still be shaking his head. I wasn't even aware anymore. But Aro must have because his expression hardened. "Decide now. Either she dies at our hands tonight, or you change her by her eighteenth birthday," he said, his voice low and full of threat.

I looked up at Edward to see him glaring back at Aro. He put me down on my feet and ushered me behind him. "Neither," Edward growled. "She will live. As a human. You will not touch her!"

I don't remember what happened. One moment I was there, right behind Edward. He was safe, and so was I. More or less.

Then the next moment, I was flying backwards, landing with a thud at the foot of the sofa. My back was in pain, and I whimpered.

But no one could come to my aid right now. Edward was fighting off Demetri. Emmett was on the ground again, Jane's work no doubt. Rosalie was trying to fight off Jane, to tackle her and distract her so that Emmett would stop hurting. Alice, Jasper and Esme were taking on Alec and Felix, and Aro and Carlisle were fighting yet trying to sort it out with words. They were yelling at each other.

I started screaming for them to stop. I couldn't stand this. They were hurting. My family was hurting because of me. I had to stop it. But I was just a human girl. I couldn't stop them.

The sound of them clashing against one another sounded like thunder. I was still shaking so hard at the sight of it. Because of my bad back and my wound, shaking this hard only sent me jolts of pain.

I blinked.

Emmett and Rosalie were both on the floor, writhing in pain, screaming every now and then. Jane was standing over, them, smug and evil. Alice and Jasper looked like they were in a big deal of pain, though they were both lying on the floor, unable to move. Alice was sobbing, in pain. Esme had her arms locked to her side, captured by Felix, and Edward was in the same position but Demetri was the one holding him. Carlisle and Aro were the only ones still combating.

"Make a decision, Carlisle, this isn't just a game!" Aro said.

Carlisle laughed bitterly. "You could have fooled me, Aro."

Rosalie screamed again, and I shut my eyes. I couldn't stand this. "Bella! Bella, it's okay!" Edward yelled at me, but I heard his cry of pain a moment later. I opened my eyes to find him on the floor, in pain as well. How was this possible? How were they so strong against the Cullens?

"Make a decision!"

I had to. I couldn't let this go on any longer. It was now or never.

______________________________________________________________________________

_I'm just evil, I know. I'm sorry. It took a really long time. The next chapter is in the works, so I'll post it up in a few hours. If you live in the US, I guess you won't read it until tomorrow unless you're totally crazy and read on until three in the morning or something (like I do)._

_This chapter isn't as long as the others because it's a two parter. The next one would be the Volturi still, before we move on to Denali._

_P.S. In case some of you forgot their gifts, Jane-illusion of pain, Alec-cut off your senses, Demetri-tracker._

_Okay, there were slightly more reviews for chapter 17 than chapter 16, but still not as much as the reviews for chapter 15...I know, I'm being greedy, but work with me here. I just love hearing what you think._

_To ZivaCullen, I'm glad you think I edit. Usually by the end of the chapter, I'm so worn out I don't even look it over before I publish…God that makes me sound like a total slob, doesn't it??_

_To Maddy, of course she's a brat. She's a pre-teen. We've all been there._

_To naley4ever2333, I thought it would be logical to do something about her period. I mean, blood on the outside of the body-they'll know. But then is it too embarrassing for Bella? I empathize with her character…It'll be fun to right, just real embarrassing. What do you think??_

_To sylviaxoxxcullen, I'm so sorry I neglected to mention you. How's life?? LOL. Really, I appreciate your reviews, as I do everyone else's._

_To palinxpassion, I know Mike Newton has been in hundreds of fan fics, but I can't help myself. It's just too good. I love Edward's reaction to him._

_To tanwellman, he bit her for like half a second before Edward got to her, so the veins were opened, but Carlisle cleaned the wound before the little bit of venom on his teeth could do any damage. Mostly the wound just made her lose a lot of blood._

_To Ellyanah, LOL. I can't tell you what the book's about. All I can say is I've been working on it for the past six years because I hate it when the story isn't good enough, and it's a series. I hope I could get it published in a few years time._

_I'm so sorry again for keeping you waiting, and getting ahead of myself. I hope you enjoy this. Please review to tell me what you think._

_Juliet._


	19. Sacrifice

_**A/N:**__ Alright, the last chapter for the Volturi visit. The next chapter is when Bella's 13. Are you excited?? I know I am…_

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Bella, Edward_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

_Emmett and Rosalie were both on the floor, writhing in pain, screaming every now and then. Jane was standing over, them, smug and evil. Alice and Jasper looked like they were in a big deal of pain, though they were both lying on the floor, unable to move. Alice was sobbing, in pain. Esme had her arms locked to her side, captured by Felix, and Edward was in the same position but Demetri was the one holding him. Carlisle and Aro were the only ones still combating._

"_Make a decision, Carlisle, this isn't just a game!" Aro said._

_Carlisle laughed bitterly. "You could have fooled me, Aro."_

_Rosalie screamed again, and I shut my eyes. I couldn't stand this. "Bella! Bella, it's okay!" Edward yelled at me, but I heard his cry of pain a moment later. I opened my eyes to find him on the floor, in pain as well. How was this possible? How were they so strong against the Cullens?_

"_Make a decision!"_

_I had to. I couldn't let this go on any longer. It was now or never._

"I'll do it!" I blurted out, without even thinking of what I should say.

Edward froze, his face a mask of horror. Aro turned to look at me, surprised. No one moved a muscle.

Then Aro smiled, pleased.

He glided over to me, and I struggled to sit up, to stand and move, but I couldn't. I was in too much pain. My back was really hurt.

Aro crouched down in front of me and I flinched back from his crimson gaze, his amused smile, his papery white skin. "You agree to be changed?" he asked me softly, though there was nothing tender or caring about his tone.

I nodded my head mutely, tears running down my cheeks. I was more afraid for my family than I was of making my decision.

Ever since Connor had told me about people being changed into vampires, and spending eternity on earth, I had wanted it. I didn't ever want to leave Edward, and my family. They meant too much to me.

When Connor bit me, I wasn't prepared. And I had to admit, I wanted to be older. I didn't want to be stuck at eleven forever, bound to be the baby in the family.

So telling Aro that I would be changed by the time I was eighteen wasn't a big deal for me. I just wanted him to agree and leave my family alone. I couldn't stand them being in such pain.

"You agree to being one of my kind by your eighteenth birthday?" Aro asked again, his eyebrows raised as if he didn't believe it.

I nodded again. "I agree," I whispered. "As long as you leave my family alone."

Aro threw back his head and laughed, the sound reminding me of nails scraping on a chalkboard. Nothing at all like when Edward or Alice or any of the Cullens when they laughed. "Astounding!" he exclaimed happily, when he was done laughing. I had no idea what he meant, but I didn't care. As long as he agreed to it…

He held out a hand, and I looked at him hesitantly before taking it. "Well then, a deal has been made," Aro smiled at me once more before standing up to face the others. He walked away from me to resume his place next to Jane.

"You'll understand that I expect you to follow through on this, Carlisle," he said, still grinning. "I'll be checking on her myself, personally. Come, Jane, let's go." He didn't mention the others, but they followed after Aro and Jane, as well. I guessed Jane was his favorite person.

Even after they were gone, most of my family laid on the ground. I started to shake from the sobs wrecking my body, but it hurt my back. I tried to stop but I couldn't. I stopped trying to make the sobs subside and tried to move closer to Edward.

I gasped in pain, and my eyes automatically drifted shut because of it. "Bella!" I heard Edward's frantic voice.

I struggled to open my eyes once more and looked up to see Carlisle leaving Esme's side as she stood up, and hurrying over to me. He lifted me off the ground and set me gently on the couch. Edward and the others, too, were standing up. They looked good as new, despite their messy clothes and hair, and the pained, puzzled looks on their faces.

"Are you alright?" I asked weakly as Edward knelt down beside the couch and took my hand while Carlisle examined my back.

"We're fine, Bella," Edward spoke up, though I thought I heard anger in his voice. "We're vampires, remember? It's hard to hurt us for very long."

I wanted to say something else, to reply, but my I felt like I was slowly drifting off into darkness. Somewhere behind me, I heard Carlisle said that I had glass stuck to my back. That's why it hurt so much.

I felt something being pulled out of my skin, felt something warm trickling down my numb skin. Blood. My eyes flickered to where Jasper was standing, rigid in Alice's embrace. From his expression I knew he had stopped breathing.

Was this hurting Jasper? I hated that. I didn't want to be the cause of his pain. I didn't want to cause any one of them pain.

So, in my weak voice, I called out worriedly. "Jazz?"

My eyelids drifted shut as my control slipped. I welcomed the darkness with open arms.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I played with Bella's small fingers as I waited for her to open her eyes and look at me with her brown eyes again. It had been nine hours since Bella had fainted. Carlisle had treated her wound, stitched it up and given her morphine for the pain.

She was supposed to wake up any minute.

My mind kept replaying the events that had transpired in the last few hours over and over again. Aro and his guards had left, leaving us with an injured Bella. It was ironic how even though she hadn't actually been a part of the attack, she had gotten hurt.

She had been worried for Jasper, for his control. She'd seen how much it had shattered him to even think of hurting her the last time he came close to her blood. She had called out for him, concerned, before blacking out.

But it was the promise she had made to Aro that had been tormenting me. She had agreed to being changed. Oh, Bella. What had she gotten herself into? Aro would be adamant about her change now, more than he had been just hours ago. He would insist on it. Carlisle would have to do it. He'd have no choice.

I'd seen the desperation in her eyes, heard it in her voice, as she called out to Aro to stop hurting us.

_Bella, sweet Bella_.

Did she forget that we were vampires? We wouldn't be seriously hurt. We would have recovered…Of course, the Volturi would have killed us all, along with Bella, if she hadn't agreed.

But I still believed that, given the time, we would have thought of a different alternative. We would've been able to stall them and compromise.

What Aro asked us to do, what Bella had agreed to, was a sin! She was the purest, most innocent being I've ever seen in my life. I don't doubt for a second that no one in the world rivaled her innocence.

And he had happily waltzed into our lives and asked us gaily to remove it from her. To snatch it away and replace that purity in her heart with an eternity of darkness. An eternity of blood red nights.

I couldn't do it. Bella deserved better. She didn't deserve to spend forever trapped by the shackles of this existence.

And he had tricked her, too, I realized. Aro had seen the attachment Bella had with our family. He'd seen the lengths we'd go to protect her in my head. He'd seen it all from my memories of her the moment he touched me and read every single one of thoughts.

He might not have been Marcus, but he wasn't stupid. He'd seen her affections for us and tricked her. He'd tortured us in front of her, reduced her to a whimpering, fearful child, and had given her an ultimatum.

Bella did what anyone would do for a loved one.

She sacrificed herself.

I felt my jaw clench, and forced myself to calm down. I dropped Bella's hand from mine, afraid that I might accidentally break it in my anger. Bella had suffered through enough physical pain in the past twenty fours hours to last her a lifetime.

I paced the room, and tuned in to my family's thoughts.

_I still feel them, still see them. Carlisle wasn't kidding when he talked about Jane. God. How did she even have that power over me? It's just too much…Man, I wish Bella would wake up. Rose is going crazy. _I'm _going crazy. I think I'm getting a vampire migraine._

Ah, Emmett. No matter how much he tried to hide the fact that he had been scared of Jane, of her gift, and of her control over him, it would never work in a family with an empath, a mind reader and a psychic.

There were no secrets in the family.

_Bella would wake up in exactly six minutes and thirty two seconds. Bella would wake up in exactly six minutes and thirty two seconds. Bella would wake up in exactly six minutes and thirty two seconds._

Alice's thoughts were like a broken record. She was much too focused on her worries for Bella to concentrate on anything else.

_I didn't try to get to her. Thank God. Not breathing helped. Why did she call out my name? She felt worried. For me. Really, Bella. She was so sweet. I loved her. When is she going to wake up? I'd better ask Alice._

I smiled to myself. Despite my threat to kill Jasper if he tried to harm her again, I knew it killed him inside that it happened that first time. He loved Bella as if she was truly his own sister. The monstrous instinct that took over him had caused him self-torment all this while. I was incredibly surprised and proud that he was able to resist the temptation.

_Why the hell is it taking so long? Maybe Carlisle gave her too much morphine. Maybe she's way too tired. Maybe it's something worse. Ugh, this is killing me._

Rosalie, the overprotective mother. I knew it hurt her to see Bella so incredibly hurt herself. She was barely able to control herself as she paced around the living room, desperately trying to keep herself from dashing up the stairs and shaking Bella awake.

_I should talk to Alice about taking Bella on a vacation. Somewhere away from all this nonsense. God only knows she deserves it. Oh, my poor baby. I can't believe Aro would do that to her. I'll wring his neck with my two bare hands if I got the chance…_

Esme had always been more of a pacifist most of the time. She was never much of a fighter unless she absolutely had to. During her hunts, she was absolutely lethal of course. But other than that, she preferred the calmer solution to things. But her maternal feelings towards Bella was overwhelming. I didn't need to peek into Jasper's mind to know that. So it hardly surprised me that she was having violent thoughts on Aro.

_This change. It'll have to happen before her eighteenth birthday. She would have no time to waste. I know Edward would probably try and find a way out. A loophole of some sort. Ah, so stubborn. He has to realize there was no way out. It was either this life, or death for Bella now. Aro would insist on it. We would have no power to stop him or the Volturi…Then again, a lot can happen in the next seven years. He might even-oh, are you listening, Edward? Hmm…_

Carlisle's thoughts took a different turn. He begun to play around with a memory of him and Esme dancing to 'The Way You Look Tonight' not too long ago.

I scowled at the door. There was something he wasn't telling me, something they all weren't telling me.

They kept singing different songs, distracting each other, thinking of wild fantasies every time they came close to revealing whatever it was they were thinking. I kept wanting to scream at them to tell me already, but that wouldn't work. Besides, my main priority was Bella.

I felt Bella murmur something unintelligible and turned around at my inhuman speed. Bella was shifting on the bed, eyes still closed. Her breathing quickened, though, so I knew she was waking up.

True enough, her eyes fluttered open, and her warm, brown eyes met my golden orbs. A smile touched her lips and she struggled to sit up. I heard her breathing become labored. I dashed to her side and gently held her down.

"No, Bella," I shook my head firmly. "Stay. You hurt your back, don't strain it."

Bella pouted, but nodded her head. She stayed still and didn't move. Her eyes traced my features, and her smile disappeared. She must have seen the anguish on my face. And here I thought I'd hidden it well.

Why was it that Bella could read me so well? I was like an open book to her. And she was only eleven years old, for God's sake!

"What's wrong, Edward?" she asked, her lip trembling. I saw the fear in her eyes and realized that she thought the danger wasn't over.

I took her hand in mine and brushed my lips across her knuckles. "Shh, Bella, everything's fine," I said, my voice cracking. "Everyone is safe. _You _are safe." For now.

She relaxed, but only a little. "Then why are you so…You look like you're in pain," she said finally.

That was because I was in pain. I couldn't bear the thought that seven years from now, this pure angel would be condemned to spend eternity as a monster. How could such a thing even happen? I felt like sobbing so hard every time I even thought of it.

This was torture.

"Edward?" Bella asked, her eyebrows drawn together, her teeth biting down on her lower lip in a nervous habit of hers.

I sighed, realizing that there was no possible way for me to lie to her. She would know something was wrong. I needed to talk to her about this, after all. It was why Alice had everyone wait a few minutes before coming up the stairs.

"Bella," I begun. My voice cracked as I said her name. "How could you do that?" I asked, my breath coming in short gasps even though I didn't need oxygen in my lung. My heart was just constricted too tightly for me. I would imagine a human would feel the same way if he were drowning.

Bella looked confused at my question, and I could see her wrecking her brain for what she had done wrong. I almost sighed out loud in frustration. Honestly. Did she forget it all too soon?

A sudden fear gripped me. What if she didn't remember making the deal? What if it was a part of her adrenaline rush that overtook her because she had been forced to watch her family suffer right before her very eyes? What if I told her now and she regretted it?

I felt like a monster for even bringing it up, but I had to. She had to know. She had to find out. And if she remembered, then I needed to know why.

"Why did you agree to Aro? Why did you sacrifice yourself like that?"

Bella's forehead smoothed out as she realized the meaning of my question, the reason behind my grief. Ah, so she did remember.

"Edward," she rolled her eyes. At times like these, when she would do such immaturely humane things like rolling her eyes at me, I'd remember that she was still just a child. Her maturity tended to make me forget.

"I didn't sacrifice myself. I made a deal to keep you and the others safe, while getting forever with you. How is that a bad thing?" she asked. Her tone and expression told me she was truly baffled by my sorrow.

I shook my head. "We're monsters, Bella," I whispered. "How could you even…Want to…?" I couldn't finish my sentence. My breath caught in my throat, my eyes closed as I tried to control my emotions.

_A little control, Edward. I'm all the way in the living room and you're killing me with everything you're feeling_, I heard Jasper thought out to me. I felt the unnatural sense of calm washing over me, courtesy of his gift, and silently thanked him. I knew he would sense the gratitude I felt, and would get the message.

"Don't," Bella snapped. My eyes flew open. I met her angry gaze and for a moment, I was taken aback. She had never been this angry at me before. Had I let her down somehow. "Don't say that, Edward! I can't take it, hearing you say you're bad. I know you're not! You saved me, all the time. I love being part of the family. Is it so wrong to want to be around with you forever?" she questioned.

Yes, it was very wrong. Natural, I suppose, since I, too, have thought of what might happen were Bella to become a vampire and spend eternity with us Cullens. But that shouldn't happen. She was human. She deserved happiness.

Not this.

"Bella-"

She cut me off again. "No. Please, Edward? It wasn't sacrifice. I didn't want to see you and the others in pain. It hurt me, too. Watching that," her brown eyes filled up with tears, and slowly, they cascaded down her cheeks. I reached out to wipe them, alarmed, but more just kept coming.

"I just want to be happy for now, okay? Can we not…Fight? Or talk about it?" she pleaded, at a loss for words to plead her sanity.

I took in a deep breath, inhaling her freesia scent as I did so. I nodded my head, and smiled at her timidly. Bella's returning smile was wide and happy.

"Okay," I whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead to show that I acknowledged her wish.

Before either of us could say anything else, the door burst open. Bella gasped in shock. Six vampires bustled into the room, anxious grins on their faces.

******************************************************************************

I looked around the empty house. Bella was already in my car with Alice and Jasper, waiting for me out front. Carlisle and Esme had already left, as had Emmett and Rosalie. Alice and Jasper had wanted to ride with Bella and I.

Our time in London was up for now. I wondered when we would come and live here again. Bella wasn't the only one who enjoyed the English air.

Our things had been sent to our new home in Alaska. They would arrive the same day we would. We were now headed to the airport for our flight.

Bella had gotten a visit from Rebecca the day before. Needless to say, her human friend had been shocked seeing Bella wrapped up and bed ridden (Carlisle's orders, after receiving threatening glares from Esme and Rosalie. And myself, admittedly. I just didn't want Bella to strain too much).

Bella hadn't been pleased knowing our next destination.

She didn't mind moving. She said Emmett told her it was like an adventure. A new place every few years. New people, new place, new atmosphere. She would get to experience life everywhere.

She just hated that we were moving so close to the Denali clan. I knew she was fond of Kate, Carmen and Eleazar. Tanya, however, was a different matter. Emmett's ridiculous attempt at a joke about how Tanya wanted to be my best friend had struck her hard. Bella had been irrationally afraid that Tanya would take her place in my life.

As if such a thing was possible.

She was eleven years old only. I was convinced she would grow out of this phase. After all, she would see that her hold on me was unbreakable. Over time. She was still a child, no matter how petulantly she tries to convince me otherwise. When she grows older and matures, she would see.

Her dislike for Tanya and Irina hadn't been a secret to everyone in our family. Irina made her feel uncomfortable, and Tanya made her feel incredibly annoyed and uncomfortable-a horrible mixture.

I knew the feeling.

I sighed as I stepped out of the house and locked the door behind me. I climbed into the driver's seat, Jasper in the passenger side. Alice and Bella were playing a inane human game that was apparently popular during road trips. It was called 'I See'. I found it silly. But Bella seemed to enjoy it.

"I see something…Purple," Alice would say.

"Flowers!" Bella would bellow as she caught sight of the flowers in Esme's garden.

I chuckled as I pulled out of the driveway. I knew Bella would be unhappy being so close to Tanya, and starting over in a different environment.

But I wanted her to have everything she could, experience every possible human experience there was, before her time as a human was up. I wanted her to be happy beyond belief.

And in the meantime, I would try and find a loophole to her agreement with Aro.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Well, he's Edward. What can you do??_

_I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you. Next chapter is a skip ahead, Bella would be 13. I'm so excited I'm practically Alice as I type it out. It'll be longer than this one, don't worry. They'll be in Denali, of course._

_To ClamKidToTheRescue, LOL. Nice mental image._

_To everyone else, I'm so sorry this took so long, and for the evil cliffhanger. I'd tell you why I was so late, but I'm running away from the rotten tomatoes._

_Please read and review while I refuel my energy and continue writing the next chapter. Your reviews are inspiration for me, so keep hitting me with 'em. Again, sorry if this chapter isn't up to par with your expectations. Next one will be better._

_Enjoy,_

_Juliet._


	20. Finding Out

_**A/N: **__OHMYGOSHWE'REFINALLYHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. As fun as it's been writing Bella at such a young age, I've been dreaming of her teenage years for a while now. Ideas have been hitting me left and right, and your reviews have given me even more inspiration. So I'm happy we're here._

_Just to clear things up, since this chapter skips ahead a while, Bella is 13 years old in this chapter. It's the beginning of the summer holidays, and the Cullens are going to go on vacation soon. That means that Bella is fast approaching 14 years old. Don't worry, I've got it all planned out. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was lovely to write the Volturi but it's also nice to go back to writing comic relief for a while._

_P.S. I hope you still understand the tenor of Bella's relationship with the Cullens even after the skip ahead._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Emmett, Alice_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I sighed in relief as the school bell rang, signaling the end of my last class for the day-and the semester. The students around us cheered as they made a mad dash for the door.

My friend, Danielle, mirrored the look on my face as she grinned widely at me. We grabbed our bags and headed out of Mr. Wendell's Math class.

I hated Math. I never really understood it. I had had plenty of help from Edward when it came to my homework. Honestly, the guy was a genius. But what did I expect? He was a vampire. A stunning, century old vampire.

We'd celebrated his hundred and fourth birthday just a few weeks ago. Well, we didn't actually celebrate it. It was more of 'acknowledging' it. For some reason, the Cullens didn't celebrate birthdays unless it was mine. I wished they wouldn't.

Anyway, like I was saying. Edward was a genius. He already had two medical degrees. Right now he was in high school, though. He was pretending to be a sophomore. Next year he would be a junior.

And I was still in middle school.

Have I mentioned how much I hated being the baby in the family? Everyone, Edward especially, treated me like I was some sort of fragile China vase that could break with the slightest touch. Of course, when I complained, he just said 'It's true' and laughed in my face.

The nerve of him!

I sighed loudly. I still loved him, though. He was the best, most wonderful guy a girl could ask for as a best friend. I couldn't express just how lucky, how amazing, I felt to have him in my life. The rest of the Cullens, too. They were amazing to me. I had two mothers, a father, a best girlfriend and two wacky brothers. And then of course there's Edward.

Danielle caught my sigh, and looked over at me, leaning against the wall as we waited outside the school for Edward to pick me up. He should be around soon. He was never late. He sent Danielle back home sometimes, too, whenever I didn't want her to walk home. She lived not that far from school, but I still felt better if she drove home with us.

"Are you sure you can't come over?" she asked, for the millionth time. I shot her a look, and raised my eyebrow. Danielle was having a slumber party. We were thirteen, and I wasn't sure if we were too old to still be doing this. But Danielle said we weren't. Her cousin, Anna, was visiting from France. She had invited me, along with one or two of our friends, to a sleepover.

I had declined. There was too much to do at home. The Cullens and I would be leaving for our summer vacation soon. We would be making two stops-in New York, while the weather was bad enough for the vampires in the family to wander about on the streets during the day, according to Alice the weather girl-and Paris.

Our flight was in three days. I haven't even packed yet. I knew Alice was just jumping at the chance to pack for me, but I couldn't allow that.

The last time she'd packed for me, I had ended up with three huge suitcases for a one week stay holiday, with nothing remotely close to what I would be comfortable in. I had refused to speak to Alice, but she was Alice, after all. A little of her 'pixie dust', as Emmett and I affectionately called her charm, and my anger was forgotten.

And then she had taken me shopping.

I shuddered at the memory.

"Yes, I'm sure, Elle," I smiled at my friend, using my nickname for her. "I'm really sorry. I need to pack and everything."

Danielle looked glum at the mention of my packing. "You're lucky you get to go to NYC and Paris," she said. "I get to spend time in Texas with my relatives. Do you know how annoying they can get?"

I laughed, throwing my head back. Danielle hated spending time with her extended family. She said there were too many nosy adults and bratty kids. I didn't know what she was complaining about-it sounded normal to me.

Not that I didn't like being a part of the Cullen lifestyle. I enjoyed it, actually. I'd been several different people now.

I'd been Bella Swan in Forks until I turned seven. I'd been Bella Hale since then, in London, now in Alaska, and God knows where else in the future. I wouldn't have to assume a different last name until I was changed and had to keep up appearances, pretending to be someone different each time we moved.

I'd asked Jasper what last name I would be able to take. He'd said that we all played around with our last names, human or otherwise, throughout the years. Platt, Esme's last name as a human before she married, Hale, McCarty, Brandon, Whitlock and, of course, Cullen. It depended. They just mixed it around a lot.

The only thing that would be a constant was my first name. Isabella.

This time, it was Carlisle and Esme McCarty. Edward and Emmett McCarty-their adoptive children. Alice and Rosalie Platt, sisters who were taken in by Esme. And Jasper Hale, my brother.

It was an interesting life, to say the least. Sometimes I couldn't help but think of them as fugitives. In a way it was true. They had done some pretty illegal things to cover their traces. Forging documents, signatures, that sort of thing.

Of course, being me, I was just romanticized by the idea.

"Bella," Danielle's voice broke through my reverie. I glanced at her, startled, and gave her a sheepish smile. She shot me an annoyed look to tell me she knew I hadn't been listening to her. "I was just saying," she said bitingly, though I saw the hint of a smile on her lips. "Maybe you could reconsider. I know your sister Alice would be happy to pack for you."

I shuddered again. "Thanks, Elle. I'll give you a call if I can go. I won't promise anything, though," I said finally. Danielle smiled at me, satisfied for now, just as Edward pulled up in front of the school.

We made our way to his car, and I tried my best not to slip on the ice as I walked. I was, also, the clumsiest person on earth. A fact which reduced Emmett to near invisible vampire tears every time.

Danielle and I slipped into the backseat of the Volvo-Edward's obsession with Volvos was something I couldn't explain. He'd gotten a newer model last year, but it was still silver, still as fast as possible.

He only slowed down whenever Danielle was in the car because he didn't want her to complain to her mother. I rolled my eyes. Giving me a heart attack with his maniacal driving didn't seem to bother him all that much.

"How was school?" I heard his musical voice ask. I raised my eyes from my lap and saw his golden eyes looking right at me from the rearview mirror. For some reason, my heart gave an unsteady thump before returning to its normal pace. I knew Edward heard it, just like he had every single time it had happened before in the past few weeks. I dismissed it, as did he.

"The same as always. A rectangle building filled with misery and embarrassment," I quipped, smirking.

Edward chuckled, and stepped on the gas. I knew he was going at 80.

"Going over to Danielle's later, Bella?" he asked.

I scowled. I knew he'd read it in her mind, saw her invitation. It was like it didn't matter that he couldn't read my mind-something I was eternally grateful for, by the way. He would just peek into my friends' heads and get the answer anyway.

Either that, or he'll just dazzle me into telling him. He said he could read me easily, through my eyes.

God, I hoped that wasn't true.

If it were, he would know about how my heart started sputtering every time he came close. I knew he could hear it but we never talked about it. I hoped he wouldn't assume.

He would also know that I found him stunning, that I thought he could be dazzling when he wanted to be and sometimes when he never even tried. He would know how I looked up to him, and found him just…Perfect. It was almost ridiculous that a creature like him even existed. Not vampire, but Adonis.

I didn't know why all of a sudden, Edward seemed different to me. He was still my best friend. I could still go to him for anything. I just saw him…Clearer, I suppose, would be a good term. I didn't understand it, and neither Alice nor Jasper would tell me. They said I needed to find out on my own. That was just plain condescending, in my book at least.

Maybe it was just hormones. I haven't gotten around to having…_That thing _yet. But maybe I was close? Or maybe it was just some weird teenage phase I'll get over? I sighed inwardly. This was incredibly confusing.

"No," I replied, though I knew he'd already seen the answer in Danielle's head. He didn't comment on my answer.

He pulled over in Danielle's driveway and she hopped out. "Call me later, Bells!" she waved, slamming the door.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes as Edward started driving again, this time to the outskirts of the Alaskan town we lived in. Our house here looked like it could be part of a fairytale. It was white, blending in with the snow, and contrasting to the forest surrounding it.

Danielle had been over a few times, and she'd asked why our house was surrounded by trees. I just told her it was relaxing, and our family loved nature.

Which was true. I didn't particularly enjoy hiking or anything myself, but the others do. I, however, do find being in the midst of trees, hearing the stream nearby, and waking up to the sight of the mountains outside very refreshing. It was calming, to say the least.

I was looking forward to our vacation. The Cullens had a funny way of spending time away from home. Emmett and Jasper would always get into hilarious situations, so you never knew what to expect. Edward would bring me to the coolest music stores and museums.

Alice and Rose were Alice and Rose-that meant plenty of shopping. Alice was convinced I'd grow to love it, but my hatred of the mall no matter where we were just kept growing. I almost pitied her for her efforts. But then again, she was enthusiastic enough for the both of us.

Carlisle and Esme were the parents, so they always bailed Emmett and Jasper out.

Sometimes literally.

I have never been to New York or Paris before. My first ever vacation was with the Denali clan. I had missed Kate, Carmen and Eleazar, so Carlisle and Esme thought it would be good to spend some time in Alaska. The cold was biting and cruel, especially to an eight year old, but it was still an enjoyable trip.

Well, for the most part.

I felt my face pull into a scowl as I remembered Tanya and her relentless efforts to get to Edward. Why that girl just wouldn't give up was beyond me.

And now we lived just a few miles from her.

So maybe there was another reason why I would love to be away from Alaska for the summer. Just for a few weeks. It had been torture these past few years.

Tanya had somehow decided that since I was Edward's best friend, she should get in my good graces to get his attention.

First of all, I doubt that'll work.

Second of all, there was no way she would get in my good graces. I couldn't stand her. I was forced to smile, and say hello and not scream my head off at her every time she decided to visit (every other week, mind you), but I wasn't going to be her best friend.

"What's with the face, Bella?" Edward's voice floated to the backseat. My eyes snapped open and I looked up to see those same golden eyes looking at me again through the rearview mirror. "Won't you tell me what you're thinking?"

His question was more of a plea. I suppressed the urge to grin smugly. It drove Edward crazy not to be able to read my thoughts. I think it was because he was so used to knowing exactly everything a person thought of. Then suddenly, he had to channel his more normal, human side when it came to me. It unnerved him that my mind blocked him.

"Nothing, Edward," I said, smiling widely.

"Bella," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

I burst out laughing. "Really," I said, once I'd calmed down. "I was just tired. And excited about our trip." At least that part was honest enough.

I didn't want him to know I was mulling things over on Tanya's constant presence. While he might not enjoy her presence, he was always polite to her. He smiled, asked her how she was, even made small talk with her. A gentleman in every sense of the word.

I knew he was aware of my distaste for Tanya, ever since the first time I'd ever heard of her. But he'd chalked it up to her annoying attitude and persistence. In some ways, it affected me more than it affected him, because some days she just never left me alone. She followed me everywhere, acting as if we were the best of friends, trying to persuade me to go shopping with her and whatnot. I had to lie every so often, something I wasn't good at. She never called on me for fibbing-either she didn't catch my lie, or she just didn't care. Maybe it was a mix of the two.

We pulled into the garage-Rosalie had persuaded Esme to transform one of the outhouses into a huge garage. They even added an extension to the room. It didn't take that much to convince Esme. The Cullens were all crazy about cars.

I grabbed my bag and got out of the car, Edward beside me. I smiled. He could've gotten out faster, and could've went inside before I even moved an inch, but it was typically Edward to wait for me.

"Are you too tired to resume our piano lesson?" Edward asked as we entered the house.

I shook my head. "No, of course not. Just let me change and grab a bite to eat." Ever since I was seven, I had been taking piano lessons with Edward. I really enjoyed watching him play and it had gotten me hooked on not just the piano but on classical music.

Alice said I needed to ditch Edward before I became a century old vampire instead of an almost-fourteen-year old teenager.

I knew I could never play as good as Edward, but I was willing to try and get as close as possible. I felt calm, peaceful, whenever I played. I didn't know if it was simply because I was spending time with the one person I trusted the most, just sitting in silence, doing something we both loved, or because I truly loved playing the piano. Maybe it was Jazz's doing…

I loved piano lessons with Edward. And I loved knowing that, as amateur as I might be on the piano, I was steadily improving throughout the years.

I practically dashed up the stairs in my human speed, and stumbled three times on my way. I almost fell, but didn't-until I reached the top of the stairs. I stubbed my toe and almost fell back. Bracing myself for the impact, I immediately squeezed my eyes shut and grimaced.

Instead of falling down the stairs, I felt a pair of cold, strong arms wrap themselves around my waist and pull me upright. I cracked my eyes open to look into Edward's very amused, very dazzling topaz eyes.

"I should have known you would fall," he chuckled. "Only you, Bella."

I scowled as I felt the tell tale signs of my humiliation-a crimson blush that spread from my neck all the way to the tip of my hairline. This only amused him more.

Once I was steady on my feet, I begun to realize just how close we were standing. He has his arms wrapped around me, and had pulled me close to his chest. It was almost an embrace.

_An embrace? _I shook myself out of my stupor. _Where had that come from? Was I going crazy?_

Edward suddenly had a strange look on his face. It was almost like a painful grimace. He looked ashamed, or guilty, or something, and just slightly freaked out by something.

"Edward?" I waved a hand in front of his faze. His eyes snapped towards me and widened slightly, as if he'd forgotten I was still ensnared in his arms. I felt like rolling my eyes. Great. Here I was having supremely weird thoughts about him, and he wasn't even paying attention.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my eyebrows drawn together in concern. It wasn't like Edward to space out. Whatever it was must have been pretty intense.

He flashed me a smile and I realized it instantly. It was that crooked smile of his he used whenever he wanted me to do something I would have never even considered doing in a million years. "I'm fine," he said convincingly. Of course, anything that came out of his mind was convincing. "I was just thinking. I'm sorry," he said, releasing me from his hold. I stumbled a little away from him.

"I'll just…Go get ready," I mumbled, my blush still covering my cheeks.

It was times like these I hated being so pale. It was too obvious every time I was embarrassed or uncomfortable. Emmett and Jasper teased me about it all the time. Jasper usually teased me less because he could feel the humiliation I felt. Emmett, on the other hand, took teasing to a whole new level.

I changed out of the ridiculous garment Alice had forced me to wear for school. She always came up with outfits I was uncomfortable with. They attracted attention, and I didn't like that. I liked to have the least attention.

That was impossible, when you're a Cullen. I learned that a long time ago.

But at least I wasn't in high school yet. I imagine that being in the same school as my family would only be worse. Five otherworldly beautiful creatures who happen to travel in a pack and ignore everyone else and are good at everything? _Yes, they obviously blend in_, I thought sarcastically.

I kept my jeans on and threw on a comfortable t-shirt. There were certain things in my wardrobe I had begged Alice not to throw out. She mainly kept it to keep me from complaining to Rose.

Rosalie had a soft spot for me, I could get her to let me do anything if I wanted to…Within reason, of course. Rose knew I hated Alice's torturous Bella Barbie moments, so she tried getting me out every once in a while. Edward did, too.

But sometimes, it was just not smart to go up against Alice.

I went down the stairs as slowly as possible- really didn't need to fall down the stairs. I already did that twice last week. I almost gave myself a concussion the second time. Something Carlisle had found extremely hilarious when he examined me. He wondered if it was embedded in my DNA since he'd never found someone as clumsy as I was in all his years of medicine practice.

I don't think I want to know, but Emmett had suggested that Carlisle start doing experiments on me to find out. The following few hours were spent thinking of how they would test it out exactly. I shook my head at the memory. Sometimes, Carlisle was as immature as the other boys.

I went into the kitchen to find Esme slaving over the stove. I smiled at her, wrapping my arms around her waist. "What are you doing, Esme?" I asked, peering around her at the pot of simmering sauce.

"I'm making pasta!" Esme replied happily, throwing in the herbs she'd been chopping up.

I scrunched my nose. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy having Esme cook for me. I loved it. She was an extremely amazing cook, and it took me off guard since she hadn't eaten or cooked for anyone in a long time before I came into her life. And every time she cooked for me, I felt like she was my mother. I knew it made her feel more like a mother, too.

But I liked my independence. It was why I started learning how to cook when I turned twelve. It was actually easy to cook-it was very much like Chemistry.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, smiling at her.

Esme laughed, and cupped my cheek with one hand. "Yes, but I wanted to indulge my daughter. Is that so wrong?" she asked, giving me a puppy dog look that only served to make me feel guilt-ridden. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't have used it so much against her when I was younger. Now she was getting payback, and we have eternity for it.

"Of course not," I gave in. "But at least let me help you."

Esme smiled wider and nodded her head eagerly. I stood next to her and helped. Sometimes we did this-just stand silently in the kitchen and cook together, or bake together.

I wasn't all that good at baking. The only thing I managed to master were brownies. I knew for a fact that they were good because I'd made them for Danielle's thirteenth birthday party. Everyone had made a mad dash for it, and it was gone within minutes. I'd made four batches, so it was quite a lot for such a small gathering.

When we were done, I scooped out a bit of the pasta into a plate and begun to eat. Esme watched me eat for a moment and, at my pleased look, she clapped her hands together, a smile on her face, and begun to clean up the mess in the kitchen. I shook my head as I ate and watched her at the same time. I knew she was a vampire, not a witch, but she reminded me of Samantha Stevens. Maybe I just watched too much of that old show.

"Bella?" I heard Edward's musical voice calling from the living room. I smiled. He was impatient when it came to piano lessons. He was always anxious for it to begin, but he would go on for hours if I hadn't stopped and told him I had homework to do, or had cramps in my fingers from playing for so long.

"I'll be right out," I said, in a voice quieter than his was. I spoke as if he was sitting right next to me, but I knew he heard me plainly.

I heard him playing outside. A soft melodious song that he had started a few days ago. He still hadn't completed it, which surprised me to no end. It would usually take him hours, if not minutes, to compose a new song. But this one kept stumping him. I wondered why.

I finished my last bite and went to clean my plate. Once I'd done that, I grabbed a glass of water and downed its content quickly. I felt full-almost sickly so-and went out into the living room.

I stepped onto the raised platform where the piano was, and sat on the bench next to Edward. He continued playing the song he couldn't finish, the notes becoming familiar to me. After a minute or so, his fingers stilled on the keys, and he turned to look at me. He smiled, and I couldn't help the goofy grin on my face.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly.

I nodded my head, gulping.

Why on earth was I reacting this way? This was Edward. My Edward. My best friend. Why was everything suddenly so different now? I was excited by it somewhat, but I hated it, too. I liked it when I didn't feel so confused all the time when I was around him. And now I was just acting crazy.

PMS. It must be some early sign of it. I'd have to talk to Alice or Rose or Esme about this.

We begun with one of his earlier compositions-another thing why I loved Edward's piano lessons. He always taught me his own compositions. I learnt to play other songs, too, but I loved it that I could somewhat play Edward's songs. I couldn't play them as beautifully as he did, of course, but it didn't matter. The fact that I actually could just made me feel like I was in on some sort of secret of his. Ironic, since I already know his biggest secret.

"Guess what!?" Alice shrieked as she came prancing into the room.

I didn't have to look up to know that she must be looking like some graceful ballerina as she walked in. Alice had that grace, even more so than the rest of the Cullens. I wondered if she had been a dancer in her human life. Alice couldn't remember anything of her human past. She said it was all dark, and she couldn't make out anything that made sense.

I refused to break concentration-this was one of Edward's more harder songs, and I was just about getting all of it right. Just a little bit more and I'd have the whole song right for the first time ever.

"Bella!" Alice squealed in my ear. I gasped, startled, and my hands slammed down on the keys wrongly.

I turned around and glared at Alice. "Alice!" I complained. "I was just about to get it right!"

Alice waved that aside. "Yes, yes, that's great," she said dismissively. I folded my arms across my chest, blinking back the irrational, angry tears. Edward was shaking with silent laughter. "But guess what!?" she asked again, eager.

I shot a look at Edward, and he was giving Alice that annoyed, confused look that told me she was blocking her thoughts from him.

"What?" I asked warily.

Alice begun laughing like a tiny pixie maniac. "Tanya's visiting!" she cackled.

I felt the blood drain from my face, making me no doubt paler than usual. How that was possible was beyond me.

Curse Alice. She hated having Tanya around as well. But she found it hilarious that I still hung on to the jealousy Emmett accidentally instilled in me when I was seven. She teased me about it relentlessly. It was pure torture for me to be around Tanya, and Alice found it funny, that sadistic pixie.

I wondered if she had ever met Hitler.

"She is?" I asked weakly. Alice nodded her head and I whimpered. Edward burst out in loud chuckles, and I turned to glare at him. "Don't be so smug, Edward! She's a pain to you as she is to me," I reminded him. When he still wouldn't stop laughing, I decided to give him an example. "Remember the last time we were here and she asked you if you wanted-"

"Alright, I won't laugh," he cut me off, slightly irritated. I could see the underlying humor in his eyes, though, and sighed.

"When would she be here?" I asked Alice.

The doorbell rang, followed by Tanya's voice ringing throughout the house. "Hi, Cullens! Missed me?" I heard her say. Crickets answered her.

I cringed, sharing a pained look with Edward.

I shook my head, standing up. "There's no way," I said under my breath. Tanya could probably hear me, but I trust that Esme was talking to her and distracting her while I spoke. "I'm going to call Danielle, tell her I'm going to her sleepover."

Edward looked at me with the strangest look-it was as if he was panicked. I grinned at him. "Bella!" he said urgently. "I know you're upset I laughed, but is this really necessary?" he whispered, almost too soft and too fast for my human ears.

I just smiled wider. "It's not punishment, Edward, though that is an added bonus. I just won't be able to," I glanced at the living room, where Tanya was already seated, talking to an annoyed Esme. "Stand her," I mouthed, unable to finish my sentence.

Alice giggled, then tugged at my hand. "Let's go pack!" she said excitedly. For once, I followed her. Tanya wouldn't really annoy Alice that much-the girl could be dangerously frightening when she wanted to be. So, basically, I was safe from her grasp if I stayed with Alice.

When we reached my room, I grabbed the blue cell phone on the vanity I had gotten as a gift from Rosalie and pressed Danielle's number on the speed dial. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Bells. What's up?" I heard a little bit of static from the other line.

"Elle, where are you?" I asked, confused.

"My sister's driving me to pick up the girls. Val, Nina, Anna and I were going to go to the movies before we head back to my place. Why?" I heard the suspicion in her voice. Then she gasped and asked excitedly, "Are you changing your mind?"

Danielle could be perceptive when she wanted to be. I laughed and nodded my head before remembering that she couldn't see me. "Yes. I am. Do you think you could come pick me up, too?"

I heard Danielle converse with someone else in the background, and an older sounding woman's voice answered her. It must be her sister. Then I heard her come back on the phone. "Sure. We'll be there in ten. Is that enough time?"

I smiled. "Yes, it is. Thanks, Elle." I hung up the phone and turned around only to find Alice holding out my overnight bag I used whenever I spent the night at Danielle's house. I smiled at her uncertainly, tempted to check what she had packed for me.

Alice must have seen what I was about to do, and she rolled her eyes. She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and tapped her foot. "Don't you trust me, Bella?" she asked, feigning hurt.

I sighed, defeated, and gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Alice," I said.

Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder as we walked slowly out the door. "No problem," she grinned. "I would escape, too, if I had the choice…" She took on a distant look on her face. "Maybe I could convince Jazz to go on an impromptu honeymoon," she started smiling wickedly.

I shrugged out of her embrace. "Alice," I complained. "That's gross."

She laughed hysterically, shaking her head. "You'll understand one day," she said, still chuckling, holding her sides as though the laughter wracking through her body was actually physically hurting her.

I rolled my eyes and went downstairs. I, amazingly, didn't trip once. I placed the overnight bag in the living room-Tanya wasn't there, thank God. I went to find Esme and Rosalie, to ask their permission to go. Carlisle was still at the hospital, but I knew Esme would tell him if she allowed me to go.

I hoped she wouldn't use the 'we have a guest' reason, because I really didn't want to stay. Of course, since Alice saw me going, I'm assuming otherwise she wouldn't have packed for me, I had nothing to worry about.

Rosalie was probably working on her car in the garage. She had bought a Viper and she wanted to 'crank up the speed' of the engine. Cullens and cars-an unhealthy obsession that would, undoubtedly, kill me one day.

I decided to find Rosalie after Esme, since Esme was probably in the kitchen. I made my way towards it.

Somewhere in the house, I heard Alice screeching. "No, Bella! Don't go in there!"

But it was too late.

I was greeted with a sight that oddly enough broke my heart into a million pieces.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I watched as Alice and Bella dashed up the stairs at human speed, giggling like teenage girls. I rolled my eyes and turned away from the couches, where Tanya sat with Esme.

I didn't listen to their conversation, or their thoughts. I was more interested in what Alice and Bella were saying upstairs.

"_Yes. I am. Do you think you could come pick me up, too?"_

I focused on keeping my fingers moving on the keys, but I was frowning. If Bella needed to go somewhere, why couldn't she just ask one of us? Why couldn't she just ask me? Was she that upset at me for teasing her and laughing at her? Was she so embarrassed by it? Maybe I do need to stop teasing her about it. I knew she despised Tanya and her antics. I could empathize with that.

"_Yes. It is. Thanks, Elle."_ Judging from her response, I supposed Danielle was the one she had called, and her friend would be picking her up. Maybe one of her parents would be coming to pick Bella up? I hoped it wasn't her sister. The girl was barely of age, and she had just gotten her driver's license. I don't trust her to be behind the wheel with Bella in the car. Something could easily go wrong. I had to take deep, calming breaths to stop the horrific images in my head from spinning into some sort of nightmarish collage.

"_Don't you trust me, Bella?"_ So Alice had packed. I chuckled to myself.

Bella hated it when Alice packed for her, even for a sleepover.

The last time Alice had packed, Bella had ended up mortified beyond belief. It had been a trip to a chalet where Danielle's thirteenth birthday party had been held. There were adults present, I checked. But it was supposed to be a poolside barbeque-and Alice had packed a bikini for Bella.

She had come home fuming the next day, refusing to talk to Alice. Until Alice released her charm on her, of course. Then she couldn't resist but forgive her.

"_Thanks, Alice."_ Ah, the guilt trip. It always worked.

I stiffened as I felt Tanya get closer to me. I didn't particularly want to talk to her. Every word that came out of her mouth, every single one of her actions, was meant to seduce me. It had never worked in the years that I've known her. It used to be amusing. Now it was simply annoying.

I rose swiftly to my feet. Esme had gone off somewhere, probably to her room. I could hear the enraged thoughts in her mind. She disliked it when Tanya dropped by unexpectedly so often. It disrupted the peace and quiet of her day.

I made my way to the kitchen. Maybe I should get Bella something to eat before she headed out. I heard the voice of her friend, Danielle, on the phone, saying that she had planned on going to the movies first. The movie theater didn't have food, they had junk. Popcorn, and soda, and God only knows what else. I didn't want Bella to get sick.

I pulled open the fridge and pulled out the chicken ham. I should make her a sandwich.

When I closed the fridge door, Tanya was leaning against the wall, smiling at me. "Hi, Edward," she said, her voice low.

I smiled back a little, just to be polite. "Hello, Tanya. What brings you here today?" It was pointless to ask. I already knew the answer, as do everyone else in my family. Boy, was I going to get teased again when Emmett hears about this.

I could only thank God he and Jasper had went to the mall to get a flat screen for their new 'entertainment room'. Esme had finally given in after they'd begged her to let them turn the basement into a game room. They had transformed it, painted it, and were finally putting in the final touches. Which, of course, included a flat screen.

She stepped closer to me and I moved away, shuffling over to the kitchen isle.

I never stopped moving, darting from one place to another as I made Bella her sandwich. I knew she would be angry at me for babying her, as she called it, but she always forgave me because she knew I tended to go slightly overboard because I cared too deeply for her.

I grabbed the bread from next to the microwave and turned around. I took an involuntary step back as I noticed that Tanya was directly behind me. She sighed, shaking her head, though she was still smiling. "Edward," she whispered.

It sounded nothing like when Bella whispers my name.

She'd been doing that a lot lately, when she was sleep talking. I had wondered briefly if I should ask her what her dreams were about, but decided against it. It would be too suspicious. She was too perceptive.

Bella told me not to watch her sleep since she turned twelve. That was almost two years ago. She was embarrassed that I heard her talk in her sleep-the one time when she didn't have control over her words. It was her most vulnerable, and she hated that I was there to bear witness.

I hadn't really stopped, though. It comforted me to watch her sleep. And I was always curious to know what she dreamt of. Even if all I received were snippets, I didn't mind it. It was the closest I have ever gotten to hearing her thoughts.

And lately, she had been dreaming of me. I didn't know why, or what role I played in her dreams. All I knew was that with the confusion and anxiety that came from hearing my name whispered from her lips, there was elation and excitement.

"I'm tired of this game," Tanya said, bringing me back to the present. My brows furrowed as I watched her. What game? She was being confusing. "You and I are meant to be, Edward. I know you feel it," she said huskily, batting her lashes at me.

I stared at her horrified, frozen in place. Tanya and I? Meant to be? Only when hell has frozen over. I consider her an acquaintance, a family friend if you will. But never a mate. I'd gladly go through my transformation again rather than spend any amount of time with her. Especially in that way.

She moved closer to me, but I didn't have time to move away since she was already so close. I saw her lips draw closer as the pucker, I saw her intentions in mind.

So I did what I had to do.

I turned my head away.

Tanya ended up with her arms flung around my neck, her lips pressed to my cheek, her body draped close to me. I wanted nothing more than to get away from her.

But a spine chilling terror filled me as I heard the very human, very distinct gasp coming from the kitchen door. Somewhere in the house, I heard Alice scream in panic. I raised my eyes and met Bella's shocked and hurt ones. Her brown orbs clouded over as tears filled her eyes.

"Bella," I whispered.

Tanya pulled back, surprised that I was saying Bella's name instead of hers.

Bella darted away from the kitchen door before I could move, and my sensed finally kicked in. I shoved Tanya away, not bothering to be a gentleman this time. She was, after all, a vampire. A shove won't hurt her.

Bella was in the living room, a duffel bag in her hand as she raced for the front door. I made it there before her, naturally. The tears behind her eyes had filled to the brim. I was certain they were going to spill at any moment. I pressed my back against the door so she couldn't leave.

"Bella," I said desperately. "It wasn't like that…"

Wait, why was I feeling the urge to explain Tanya to her? Was she even crying because of Tanya? I knew she was insecure about Tanya 'stealing' her place in my heart, but she should know that wouldn't ever happen.

And Tanya had gone for a kiss, unsuccessfully, thank God. Bella and I never kissed. Bella was my best friend. Why would she be hurt by this?

Was it because she thought I had a similar dislike for Tanya as she did? She should know that was true.

And why was I frantic? Why was I panicking? Why did I want to explain everything to her and make her understand? Why did I want to pull her close, wipe her tears away and just hold her?

Why?

This was all too complicating. I needed to know, I needed to understand. It was killing me that I didn't.

"Edward," she said, her voice shaking. "Elle's going to be here soon with Sarah. I need to go," she whispered.

No, she was just saying that as an excuse. She just wanted to leave, to get away from me. My heart sank as I realized that must be the reason why. She couldn't stand being near me now. I had been weak to let Tanya get to me like that. She must hate me.

"Bella, please, listen-"

_Edward, she needs to go. Let her. You'll only make it worse if you continue_, Alice called out to me. I looked over Bella's head to see Alice glaring at me from the stairs. Esme had come down as well, hearing Alice's scream, and was looking at us confusedly.

"I can't," Bella replied, closing her eyes. "I have to go." When she opened her eyes, some of the tears had disappeared from her eyes though they were now rimmed red.

_Listen to her, Edward. She needs time to think. Don't force her._

I sighed. Alice might be annoying, but she knew things. She was psychic, after all. I had to listen to her if I wanted to make things right with Bella.

I stepped aside, and Bella immediately reached for the door. But she tripped over her own feet as she opened the door, and I caught her by the waist.

It reminded me of just over an hour ago when Bella had nearly fallen backwards at the top of the stairs. I had been in front of her in vampire speed, and caught her before she fell. And then suddenly, her scent was consuming me. Her eyes were all I saw. Her heartbeat and her soft voice were all I heard. Protecting her was all I could think of. It had been the strangest feeling in the world.

I released Bella the instant she was steady on her feet, and she dashed out the door. I could hear her labored breathing even as she went up to the driveway. I watched as a few minutes ticked by, then a red mustang showed up. Bella climbed in the back seat and the car drove off.

Never once did she look back at me.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

Jazz and I were driving back from the mall, our flat screen in the back of my Jeep. I was excited, which made Jazz twice as excited, which made me even more excited when he projected it through his gift. Honestly, I didn't know if that sentence was English.

We had gotten the couches, the video games, the deco for our new game room in the basement. Now all we need is this flat screen hooked up, baby!

All we rounded up the corner in my Jeep, with me driving of course, we passed a red mustang. I recognized it as the car Danielle's sister drove. I'd seen her around town-her driving was terrible. What surprised me was Bella, sitting in the back seat. I couldn't be sure but I thought I saw her flick away a tear from the corner of her eye. She didn't even realize Jazz and I had passed her by. Of course, we had been driving at 120, while the mustang had been at 75. It would have been hard to see us.

"Ouch," Jasper winced. "Someone's hurting," he frowned, looking back over his shoulder to see the red mustang drive out of sight. I parked the car in the garage and Jasper lifted the flat screen on his own. I didn't bother helping him because I knew he didn't need it. He could have held that thing for days without moving an inch and it wouldn't bother him. Just another upside to being a vampire.

I found Rosalie, however, fuming beside her Viper. Almost all of the bottom half of her outfit was drenched in oil. I chuckled, which only made her turn her death glare on me. I stopped laughing immediately. My Rosie could kill with looks.

"What happened?" I asked timidly.

Rosalie sighed and shrugged. "I heard Alice scream. She caught me off guard," she grumbled. Then her annoyed expression disappeared, and it was replaced by a curious one. "I wonder…She was screaming Bella's name."

"We just saw Bella getting into Danielle's sister's car and driving off," Jasper offered.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, then started. "Edward let her get in that ratty thing?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

I shared a look with Jasper. She was right. The car was a step away from breaking down-her sister hadn't gotten it new. Edward wouldn't let Bella get in the car with the human behind the wheel. She was terrible at it. His paranoia must have kicked in. What was going on?

The three of us went inside, and Jasper placed the flat screen on the floor, propped up against a bare wall. Edward was sitting on the couch, head in his hands, obviously upset. Jasper took a step back, obviously affected by the emotions he was feeling. Alice had her hands on her hips and Esme was glaring at Tanya.

And Bella was gone.

My protective big brother mode kicked in full gear. "What the hell happened?" I asked, my hard gaze sweeping the room.

"I think you should leave, Tanya," Esme said. Her anger was evident though her voice was cool and collected. Tanya looked as if she was about to argue but Esme held her hand up. "I respected you as an acquaintance. Please leave us to deal with this family issue."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I had never heard Esme with such a cold voice before. Really, what had happened?

Tanya sighed, shooting one last look at Edward, then left.

The room fell silent. The only thing I could hear was Edward's heavy, pained breathing. A few moments ticked by. Seconds. Minutes.

"Is someone going to tell us what happened?" Rosalie asked irritably. I knew she was as concerned about Bella as I was. Maybe even more. Bella was her baby in every way possible. I should probably not tell her about seeing Bella cry in the mustang.

Edward couldn't stop his weird vampire hyperventilation thing, so Alice jumped in angrily. "Oh, you want to know what happened?" she snapped, starting to pace the floor in rapid vampire speed. Even I was having trouble keeping up. I thought she was going to burn a trail on the floor. "_Your _idiot of a brother kissed Tanya!"

"What!?" Jasper, Rosalie and I blurted out. _What about Bella?_ My mind screamed out before I could stop it.

It was already too late-Edward had caught it. His head snapped up and I almost staggered back at the anguished look in his eyes. I could just imagine how Jasper was feeling.

"What about Bella?" he asked, his voice low. He looked and sounded like a desperate man. I knew it killed him to have Bella angry at him, but if he kissed Tanya, then he deserved it.

This enraged him. "I did _not _kiss her!" he shouted. He launched into detail of what had really happened, speaking so fast I almost missed it all.

When he was finally done explaining, he glared at us all. "So if you don't mind, I am sick and tired of having to go through this ridiculous charade. For years you have kept something from me, and I for one intend to find out what that is. _Tell me now_!" he roared.

"Edward Cullen!" Esme chided, a hand on her dead heart as she stared at her son.

But he was beyond reason. He only wanted to find out the truth.

And maybe we _had _kept it from him for too long. He needed to find out at some point. Bella was going to be fourteen pretty soon. It was just a matter of months. That meant that Edward was two years from Alice's vision. Maybe it was time to tell him, to let it sink in.

I shot a look at Alice, who sighed, defeated.

It was time.

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

Edward was so outraged. I had never seen him this mad. I supposed Bella wasn't the only one with abandonment issues.

I had jumped to conclusions. I only saw Tanya's decision, not what Edward did last minute. He hadn't decided it-he just did it. And then Bella was running out of the door…I was just so angry with him for making Bella upset.

My visions all those years ago were so close to coming true. We had all been waiting on bated breath for it to happen. Bella was already a part of the family, but with my visions becoming a reality, it would be all the more complete.

"Edward," I spoke up. "I'll tell you." I saw him relax a little. Just a little. "But you have to promise not to overreact. You have to promise to keep an open mind, and listen fully before you say or do anything. Okay? This is too important. You know it. It's Bella, so _you know it_," I stressed.

I saw his jaw clench in anticipation, but I needed to get my message across. I couldn't risk him being stubborn and running away. We were just too close.

Edward nodded his head, an agreement.

Slowly, I opened my thoughts to him fully, conjuring up the visions I had just years ago. The first was of Bella dancing with him. I heard him take a sharp intake of breath as he saw the dress-the same one in that vision I let slip of Bella smiling coyly at someone-, as he theorized if that someone might be him. Then I showed him the vision of Bella and him, kissing, saying 'I love you' to each other, embracing.

When I focused on him again, he wasn't moving. His jaw had dropped, his eyes bulging, his pale face ashen. We waited for him to speak. He needed to be the one to speak, to say things first. He was in a state of shock and if we pushed him too early, too far, he might snap.

Finally, I heard him start breathing again, though we don't need the air. "W-what?" he spluttered weakly. "I-I…This…What?"

I wracked my brain on how to continue. I hadn't seen this coming, and right now there were just too many possibilities on how this could go.

Emmett spoke up before any one of us could. "Bella's supposed to be your mate!" he yelled, too excited for his own good.

Edward had stopped breathing. He had stopped being sane. "That can't be true," he whispered.

I made a step towards him, but he stepped back. His eyes were coal black, flaring. "You saw my visions, Edward," I said, almost pleading him to see sense, to not ruin everything. He and Bella could be so happy together. By being this way, he wasn't just ruining his happiness, he was ruining hers, too. "Edward, just-just sit and we'll talk it out…"

But he was already going crazy. I could see it all over his face, the need to run and clear his head. I saw what he was about to do a second before he did.

"Go," I told Jasper, as Edward crashed through the back door. He nodded his head and took off, running after Edward.

Emmett looked at Rose, Esme and I guiltily. "Should I follow?" he asked.

I closed my eyes, watching the future outcome. I smiled to myself and opened my eyes. My husband was amazing. I really had to see if he would go on another impromptu honeymoon with me. Soon.

"No. They'll be fine."

I needed to go to my room and think. There would be much to do in the next two years if my visions were going to become a reality.

It was time for Edward and Bella's love to bloom.

And I know just how to push it along-Alice Cullen style, of course!

______________________________________________________________________________

_Longer chapter, just like I promised. So I hope this isn't too weird. Bella's considered already fourteen, although she's about a month or two shy from it. Edward has to be all Edward about it for a while though I won't make him run. NM killed me, too._

_Now it's time for ExB. And Bella not knowing. Edward knowing. Teenage boys. A surprise or two on the way. Forks. Impending vampire life. That sort of thing…I hope you read on, and I hope this chapter is good enough._

_Next chapter we have some Edward and Jasper brotherly bonding time as Edward contemplates the visions and the future, and Edward and Bella time of course._

_P.S. This isn't the last of Tanya. She'll be back with plenty of interactions with Bella. And there's even a plot where…Well, I can't tell you, but my heart did flip flops just thinking of it. Don't you just hate her, though??_

_To RobynxGraves, yes, definitely more Carlisle and Bella father-daughter moments. She's a teenager now, but don't worry. Still going to be as adorable as I can write it._

_To sylviaxoxxcullen, I'm anti-Jacob too so I don't know if I want to add him in later. I want Bella to have a boyfriend later on, before she knows about Edward's feelings and all. It'll be interesting to write. But I'm not sure if it should be Jacob. I have trouble seeing them together in my head…Doing boyfriend-girlfriend things. *Shudders*._

_To Elyssa, thank you. Your review made me blush as hard as Bella._

_To star29818 and tigermoonlight67, thank you. I didn't think I captured Aro well enough. I didn't know if he matched the Aro SM wrote…so thanks._

_To TheSara~, thank you. I hope you do continue reading._

_To roxymar, happy birthday. Was Vegas awesome or what?? Anyway, I'm glad you think Edward's in character here._

_So, review and tell me what you think, and I promise to write a real good chapter 21. Lots of Edward and Bella goodness, and family interactions and Tanya of course._

_Juliet._


	21. Reactions

_**A/N:**__ Just some clarifications from last chapter. It was a long jump in terms of the events that unfolded, so I'm pretty sure the questions were expected._

_First of, Bella isn't going to find out about Edward's feelings towards her. She's 14 now so I don't think it's too early. She'll be dancing in his arms, gazing lovingly at him, in two years time after all. Plus, he's Edward. He'll need at least 2 years to get used to the idea, mull things over, get jealous then finally make a move. So no, no definite ExB being a couple until Bella's 16 and in Forks._

_Secondly, I know they acted like he cheated on Bella but the entire family minus Edward and Bella had been counting on ExB for, what, seven years now?? It wasn't fair because neither knew, Bella's still too young, and it's not the right time, but they're still disappointed. And Edward's all upset because Bella's upset, and he's starting to realize (when he panicked after the kitchen incident) that there might be something more to Bella's and his relationship. So that combination, plus learning about the vision, freaked him out. Bella's just being Bella. It's Edward after all. She would feel like she's losing him. Tanya looked pretty cozy with him when she found them. And yes, technically he doesn't have a mate which is why Tanya advanced on him. Plus I think she's demented. But I might be bias._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Jasper, Edward, Bella, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Jasper's POV_

Edward had been running for the past fifteen minutes. He knew I was following him and he had tried to dodge me. I was a military man, however. I can't be swayed. Finally, at some point, he had given up trying to shake me off, and now he was just running to get away from the house. As far as he could get.

We made it all the way to Canada. We were headed towards the Torngat Mountains. I knew we would be safe there if Edward decided to stop. We had hunted there previously, and we didn't come across humans all that often. And even if we did, we moved too fast for their eyes to see.

Sure enough, Edward stopped in the middle of the rocky mountains, and dropped to his hands and knees. I did a quick sweep with my eyes to check that no human was around. Edward could've probably heard their thoughts but I wasn't taking any chances. He was too distraught.

I held back and watched him warily. He was shaking slightly, and his emotions were enough to drive me crazy.

Anger, confusion, grief, guilt…I could understand the confusion, maybe even the anger. We had, after all, kept this from him for a long time. But I couldn't understand the grief or the guilt.

I sighed inwardly. I might have more than once thought how wonderful it would be not to feel what everyone else feels all the time. It could get slightly disconcerting, painful even. But I've come to terms with my gift for the most part.

And at times like these, I wish I could understand where these emotions come from. Why people feel the way they do. I could only feel, I don't necessarily know why.

Something sweet tickled my nose, and my head snapped towards my right. Edward must have smelled it, too, because he took off again. We came into contact with our prey-caribou. Edward crouched into a lethal position and attacked. I followed suit. Edward had gone through four when I was just done with two.

I shook my head as we disposed of the carcasses.

I knew this was a lot to take in. Bella had been a part of the family since she was six. Edward had seen her tiny and running around asking for chocolate milk, playing Pocahontas with Emmett and tripping over everything. Alright, she's still doing that last one. A lot.

But did he really have to react this way? All he had to do was calm down and talk to me about it. I didn't come here for fun. I came here to make sure he was alright. It was killing me not knowing what was going on. The way Alice had seen those visions…The way she described them to me…All of us had been waiting anxiously for Bella to grow older, and for Edward and Bella to get together.

I hoped they didn't drift apart now. I hoped Edward wouldn't pull one of his typically Edward stunts and stay away from her.

"Of course I have to do that!" Edward snapped.

I jumped, then glanced sheepishly at him. He'd read my mind. Naturally. I'd forgotten for a moment that he could-I'd been too absorbed with my thoughts.

At that, Edward rolled his eyes.

Then I sighed. _It'll crush her to have you stay away from her_.

"She'll live."

_And what's the point, Edward? Think about it. Rationally. This is Bella we're talking about. She's going to be changed before she turns eighteen. She'll have eternity. And you're willing, honestly willing, to let her go? To see her meet someone and be their mate?_

I saw him wince, but he turned away from me. The conflicting emotions in him was making me more and more confused each second. I didn't understand it.

_Why the guilt? Why the sorrow, Edward?_

He sighed, and took off. I rolled my eyes and followed. He stopped and sat down on a boulder. I sat next to him and waited patiently for him to start.

"I can't help feeling like it's my fault," he whispered, looking distantly out at the mountain ranges. My eyebrows drew together. How was this his fault, of all things? "I should've insisted we left her when we found her. I should've stayed away. I should've…" He drew in a shaky breath.

I chuckled slightly and he shot me a dark look. "You really think the others would have listened to you, Edward?" I raised an eyebrow. _Rosalie? Esme? Even Emmett? Get real, Edward. They fell in love with her the moment they laid eyes on her. _"As did you," I teased.

Edward scowled and stood up. I was ready to dart after him but he just started pacing back and forth in front of me. "This isn't funny, Jasper," he growled. "The girl has already gone through so much…And my _mate_, Jazz?" he made a face.

"I've known her for seven years! She…She was a little girl, for God's sake!" he threw his hands in the air. "Don't you find that a little…Demented?" he asked, his voice almost pleading.

It took everything in me not to laugh at his paranoia. Maybe it was a little weird, like I said before, but it was meant to be. She was human when we met her. She still was. But she won't be for long.

Edward snarled at the direction my thoughts were headed, but I ignored him. "Edward, it's inevitable," I pointed out.

He shook his head, stubborn. "No," he said firmly. "I'll find a way to get her out of this." I opened my mouth to protest but he was talking again already. "And when I do, we'll leave."

I raised an eyebrow. My heart would be hammering a mile a minute if I were still alive. "Edward, you can't be serious," I whispered. He raised an eyebrow, as if challenging me to think otherwise. "It'll kill her."

"No, _we'll _kill her, if she stays with us. Don't you see that? If she stays, she'll have to be changed. I'll…Fall in love with her. Her life would be taken from her-I can't do that to her," he said brokenly.

I started to get angry. I've never felt this much anger in my life before. Maybe I needed to be around more adolescent humans-I've heard they carry a lot of angst in them.

_You're only thinking of yourself._

He stopped pacing and turned to face me, his eyes blazing. I didn't care. All I wanted was for him to see how incredibly selfish it was for him to stay away, for him to do his best to keep her a human.

_She wants this, Edward. Can't you get that through your head? She wants to stay with us. She wants to be immortal. She wants to be with you. She's only fourteen, so yeah, she doesn't know. But it's there. For both of you. I'm the empath here, I know. I can feel it. The trust, the need to stay by each other's sides, the understanding and compassion. Sooner or later, all of that is going to turn into passion. It's just a matter of time, Edward. And right now? Leaving isn't even a choice._

"There's always a choice," he growled at me.

I shook my head. _Think about it. Really think about it. Imagine being without her. Imagine not seeing her, not hearing her voice, not knowing how her day was. Imagine letting her go, letting her be on her own. Imagine her on her own out there, with no one to protect her, no one to confide in or help her in her times of need. Can you do that, Edward? Can you leave her? Can you see your life without her?_

He trembled again, and made his way shakily to the boulder. He sat down and cradled his head in his hands. If I didn't know any better, I would say he was crying. This was a man in pain. A broken, lost soul.

I sighed again and shot him some calming, soothing waves. I felt him start to relax slightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

I snorted. "Hey, I didn't do it for you. Your emotions were killing me-it was survival instinct," I joked.

Edward chuckled slightly, though I could hear the underlying tension underneath his normally smooth voice. "Yes, well." He grew quiet, and we just sat there for God knows how long. The sun was already setting, the sky darkening further and further.

I didn't mind the silence. Even as Edward's emotions raged through me, I could still find the peace of sitting here in the mountains. It was one of the better things of being a vampire.

"There are a shortage of those, you know," he said quietly.

I turned to look at him. "Of what?" I asked, confused. Were we in a conversation? Did I miss something.

He shot me an amused look. "Of the better things of being a vampire," he explained. Realization dawned on me.

"She would have to be a killer. She'd have to drink blood. And there would be times, especially as a newborn, when she would slip up and end up hurting people. Killing them," he flinched. I almost did the same. "Could you watch that then, Jazz? Your baby sister, the killer?"

I couldn't stop the growl in my chest. Edward heard it of course, and threw me a knowing look.

I sighed, and rubbed my temple. Talking to him at times like these was like hitting my head with granite repeatedly. It's no wonder I'm the one they asked to do this-they must have thought, as an empath, I had more patience.

Well, it was wearing off.

Fast.

Edward read my thoughts and grinned slightly. It wasn't one of his cocky grins, or one of those natural 'I'm-incredibly-happy' grins he kept sporting over the last seven years. It was one of those 'I'm-smiling-to-keep-from-falling-apart' grins.

_Don't do this to her. As much as it would hurt you, it would hurt her more._

His smile flickered, and slipped. His lips formed a frown. "She wouldn't have it in her. The capacity to feel as much as I do," he said, though I could see the uncertainty in him.

_How wrong you are, my brother_. "Because she's a human, and feels so much about you, it'll hurt her more. She isn't as strong as you, Edward," I reminded him.

He dropped his head to his hands again. "So what do I do? I'm so confused…I don't understand."

I thought about it. What should he do? Well, Bella was barely fourteen now. And I don't think she even realized the feelings she was having lately towards Edward would grow over time, and become a beautiful love. Hell, even Edward needed to think this over fully, and let things run naturally.

"The time will come," I said finally. "When the two of you will be ready. Now isn't it, Edward. Right now, it's just starting."

He didn't move, and he didn't speak. I thought he was just going to lapse into silent thinking once more, when he spoke. "When did Alice see it happening?"

I didn't know if I should tell him. Alice always said that things should happen in their own time. That if we interfered, things wouldn't work out the way they were supposed to.

Edward exhaled loudly. "I only want to know, Jazz. I need to prepare myself. It isn't easy bearing this information, you know?" he said. He finally straightened up, but only to glare at me.

I rolled my eyes. _My brother, the drama king, ladies and gentlemen_. "When she's sixteen. You'll get together by the time she's seventeen."

He looked pained all of a sudden, and sadness overwhelmed both him and I. I gave him some serenity and raised my eyebrows questioningly. "She'll have less than a year to be human by then," he muttered.

_You can't feel guilty about that, Edward_, I thought grimly.

In reality, we all felt guilty. The thought that we could have maybe fought harder have crossed our minds plenty of times. But I was a military man-I'd gone over the entire fight over and over again in my head. There wasn't a chance in hell that it could've gone any other way than it had.

Maybe in our fantasies, it would've gone better. Maybe Aro wouldn't even had come. Maybe Connor hadn't happened. But this was reality. It did happen. We were ambushed. We were the weaker ones.

And Bella had sacrificed her human life to save us. But she would have eighteen years of humanity with her. And she would have eternity of happiness waiting for her.

_Don't take it away from her, Edward. You know better than anyone she deserves it. She deserves to be happy with us, and with you. Don't doubt it's what she wants. You might not be able to read her mind, but I could read her emotions. She wants it._

Edward sighed once more, and tilted his heads up to look at the starless night sky. "I just need to think this through," he murmured, almost to himself.

_On the bright side, you have two years to do that._

For some reason, I don't think this comforted him all that much.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

I was in hysterics, and I knew it. Emmett couldn't have calmed me down if he had Jasper's gift.

My baby had gone off, upset. I'd tried calling her several times but she kept her phone shut off. She had left a message on the answering machine in the house-apparently, she'd called when Jasper and Emmett were gone, Alice and Esme were out, and Emmett and I were hyperventilating at our hunting ground.

I didn't want to be so upset. I told myself to stay calm, and to be reasonable. When Bella gets back, we can talk it out. I knew she went over to Danielle's house for a sleepover. I'd thought of going to get her but Alice had seen the outcome and it wasn't pretty. I didn't want to upset Bella more, so I'd left it at that. She would be back tomorrow morning anyway.

I couldn't believe Tanya. That _woman _had thrown herself at Edward even when he'd told her plenty of times that he didn't want her, that he wasn't interested. Was she deaf or just plain daft?

I knew it was irrational to be mad at her for hurting Bella. She didn't know that my baby was supposed to be the one that gets Edward. He didn't even know that. But Alice had insisted we didn't tell them sooner.

For one, it was too weird. Even I myself couldn't imagine seventeen-year-old-looking Edward staring at a seven year old Bella with the kind of love of a mate. It was too creepy.

For another, Edward would freak out and run. He was just like that. He would think it was his fault or something like that, and stay away from Bella. Stupid, but that's him. If he could only see that he would make Bella so happy…He wanted it too, according to Alice. Even Jasper said that recently, their feelings towards each other were changing. It was a slight shift, he'd said, but it was there.

Honestly, as much as I hated the thought that Bella would become someone else's, I couldn't help but be happy for her.

I'd spent the last seven years being her mother. I'd held her when she cried, helped her when she needed to escape Alice, made her eat her vegetables, brushed her hair and played with her.

But Bella was thirteen years old now. She wasn't a small child anymore. In a few months, she would be fourteen. Alice was already planning her birthday party.

My baby was growing up.

She would be fourteen and in her last year of middle school. Then she would be fifteen and on her way to Forks High-we would have to be moving again since we'd stayed in Alaska for a few years already.

Then she'd continue growing up. Boys, college, life. And of course, her change.

I felt guilty and so upset that Bella would have to go through that. I wanted her by my side forever. Even when she's older, I wanted her with me. No matter how old she would get, I would always see her as that six year old who clung to me, and smiled at me and called me 'mommy'. She doesn't do that very often anymore-especially when we're in public.

But we have our moments.

The thing was, I still wanted her to have everything I was deprived off when Royce did what he did to me.

I wanted her to be happy, to have a normal life. I wanted her to grow up, find that someone special, marry and have children. I wanted her to be able to grow old, have laugh lines and watch her own children have kids.

I wanted her to be happy.

But she gave it all up to save us, to save _me_. I didn't know if I should be happy or angry about it, but I definitely felt guilty. Especially when that tiny little voice inside my head would rise to the surface every now and then and ask me if I wasn't even a little bit happy that I would have my daughter with me forever.

I was. I was extremely happy. I was never going to lose her. The thought that I would have to continue on with eternity without Bella was unbearable. I knew the others felt it too.

For seven years, every happiness that came with being with Bella had a hint of sadness in it because we knew we would have to give her up at some point. Alice refused to believe it-she'd seen it in her vision, that Edward would love her, that he would take her as his.

But we knew Edward. We knew his stubborn side. We knew that if he found out, he'd run. He'd stay away. He'd protect her. I loved him for it, but now I hated him for it as well.

Bella deserved to be happy. Her future was set in stone now. There was no escaping the Volturi. It was either this life or death for Bella. I loved my daughter. And if death was the only other alternative, then I'd gladly bring her into our world, truly and completely.

All things considered, it was a good thing that Bella would be with us forever. Think about it. Bella. Our family. Edward and Bella. Bella Hale Cullen.

She had made our family so complete. And she had the chance to make it even more beautiful. If only Edward would allow it.

Now my baby was off in another person's house, upset because another vampire had come into our house and ruined something we'd all been waiting for since Alice had those visions years ago, and Edward was off doing God knows what as he blew off steam.

Yes, I wanted Bella to be happy. But if this was what made her happy, if being a vampire and living with us and being with Edward for all eternity was what made her happy…Then who was I to object?

My only worry was that Edward would do something stupid. He had always wanted to protect Bella. Since the very beginning, he wanted her to be safe and away from us. He knew that what we were would only come back to haunt us. He was afraid that Bella would get hurt one day because of what we were.

But now everything has already been decided. Bella would become one of us before her eighteenth birthday. She had less than five years left to be human.

I felt a pang of sadness and panic in my heart as I hunted. I hadn't put it that way. I hadn't exactly thought of her deadline. Five years seemed so short, so inadequate.

I took a deep breath and lunged at the elk. I sank my teeth, breaking the soft skin. I felt the warm, familiar, feel of blood flowing in my mouth and drank deeply.

Five years.

I would make it the best five years of Bella's life. She might not remember it all that well when she's changed. She might only have a few memories. But I wanted it to be the best memories that she held on to.

I knew she couldn't forego school, and I didn't want her to. Education was incredibly important. I wanted her to be in school while she was still human, no matter how many times she'd have to repeat high school throughout eternity.

I would do absolutely anything and everything to make my baby happy. And that meant that I would not allow Edward to make stupid mistakes. Bella might not realize her feelings for Edward yet. Her emotions might not coalesce into the passion of a lover yet. But it would get there. And that was what would give her happiness. Edward would not take that away from her.

Tanya would not take that away from her.

No one would.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I felt incredibly stupid.

I didn't know why I was so upset over this. Tanya…She was beautiful, there was no denying that. She might be annoying and silly and, at times, just plain absurd. But if Edward liked her then it wasn't my place to say anything.

He was my best friend, I get that. Being with Tanya-I don't know if it'll take him away from me. I don't know if he'll forget me or be away from me too much.

It'll hurt to not see him as much. I knew I was always complaining that he was too protective, but it would hurt for him not to be that way with me anymore.

I liked it that he was protective-it showed me that he cared. I liked that he was always overly anxious over the simplest matter because it showed me that he wanted me safe.

And even though we've never actually said 'I love you' out loud to one another, I knew that he did. And I knew that he understood I loved him, too.

I had said it to every single one of the Cullens but Edward. You would think it would be a little less awkward to say it since he was my best friend, but it wasn't. It just made it all the more uncomfortable.

I didn't know why exactly. I just knew that it wasn't the right time to say it.

Which made me confused.

When would be the right time to say it? Under what circumstances?

I sighed, as I tried to concentrate on the movie. We had gone back to Danielle's house after picking up Val and Nina. Danielle's cousin was already at her house. Instead of going to the theater, we'd rented a few movies instead. Danielle was a romantic, so we'd gotten a few romantic comedies.

It was fine by me considering I hated watching horror movies. They gave me nightmares. Emmett dared me to watch the Exorcist once…I wouldn't go anywhere alone. Even the bathroom.

I was aware that my feelings for Edward had grown considerably since I was little.

When I was younger, I looked at him as my protector. And he really was. He'd never let a fly hurt me. It became ridiculous some times, the lengths he would go to just to ensure I was safe. I was touched by his gestures, but it still made me feel like I was a porcelain doll.

And then he wasn't just my protector. He was my best friend. We did everything together. He taught me how to play the piano, he taught me about music and art. He watched movies with me-especially horror movies because I wanted to watch them but I just couldn't do it alone.

He was my shoulder to cry on every time I had a fight with a friend or if I got a bad grade or if I just had a terrible day.

He was someone I turned to and confided in.

Now I wasn't sure what he was.

He was still my protector, still my best friend…But it felt like he was more. Like he was my _life_. It sounded ludicrous, I know. It's just that I couldn't imagine my life without him. Not that I could imagine my life without any of the Cullens, but still.

We had just gotten so close throughout the years. It just felt like he was a part of me somehow. Was there such a thing? To have a friend so close to you that you felt like your whole world revolved around him? How was this even possible?

I knew Jasper could feel what I feel, so I had decided to ask him. It was easier since I didn't have to explain. I couldn't have put it into words if I tried. But he had only smiled at me and told me that I'd figure it out when it was time. That I had to understand on my own, in my own time.

Whatever that meant.

Alice wouldn't tell me either. None of them would.

And Edward didn't know. I was too embarrassed to ask him. Alice said I shouldn't rush things and be nosy-a habit I'd picked up from Emmett. We were both too impatient with secrets. We snooped until we found out. Of course, there wasn't anything to snoop around for since I didn't know what on earth I was looking for.

I could feel my eyelids getting droopy. It was way past one in the morning. Val had already succumbed to slumber next to me. I yawned and rested my head on my pillow. I could hear Adam Sandler's voice in the background, but it was getting fainter.

I'll talk to Rosalie tomorrow. She must be worried out of her mind that I shut off my phone. I just didn't want to talk to anyone.

But I realize I was being stupid. What happened in Edward's personal life wasn't any of my business. I only wanted him happy.

Tanya was my last choice for him, but if she was who he wanted…It wasn't my place to be upset.

******************************************************************************

I showered and changed into fresh clothes in Danielle's house. Her sister was taking us out for breakfast before sending us back home. Danielle was happy enough that I went for her sleepover. I was happy, too.

I learnt a long time ago that I shouldn't be upset about leaving people behind. It wouldn't get easier. But I should just accept the time I have with them, and be happy.

After breakfast, Danielle and her sister sent us home. I was the last one they dropped off, after Val and Nina. Danielle was still a little upset that I'd be gone from Denali for five weeks, but I couldn't be more excited.

As resolved as I was to put my feelings about Tanya aside and just be happy for Edward, I couldn't wait to get away from her.

Unless Edward invited her to come along with us…In which case I'd gladly fling myself off of a cliff. Or beg until Esme allowed me to go to Texas with Danielle and her family. Whichever hurt less.

The moment I entered the house, I was knocked to the floor. As I regained my sight after the shock of the fall, I started to laugh. Emmett, Rosalie and Alice had flung themselves at me. They had mostly kept their weight off of me, but I was still running out of breath.

"Guys," I choked out. "I need to breathe…And I think you just cracked my rib," I joked.

Immediately they were off of me, helping me to my feet and apologizing profusely. Carlisle dashed to my sight at the speed of light and was inspecting me. I rolled my eyes.

"I was _joking_, dad," I complained, trying to bat his hands away. He just glared at me and continued to see if I had actually injured myself in any way. When he was satisfied that I hadn't, he stepped back.

"Honey, you had us all worried!" Esme said, coming forward to hug me. Her heart-shaped face was grimacing in anxiety, and I felt guilt wash over me. I shouldn't have turned off my cell phone the way I did. I should've at least called and talked to someone, to let them know I was fine.

"I'm sorry, mom," I said, repentant. I felt Jasper giving me a boost of calmness and I gave him a grateful smile. "I just…It's a sleepover," I said weakly, knowing that they could see right through my lie. That made me blush. I still didn't understand why I overreacted the way I did.

"It's alright," Alice smiled. "I told them where you were."

Esme still hugged me to her side as she ran her fingers through my hair lovingly. "Do you want anything to eat?" I shook my head no and told her that I'd already had my breakfast. "Anything to drink?" Again, I shook my head.

"If you don't mind…I'd just rather go up to my room," I said, not meeting any of their gazes. I could feel the sympathy looks on their faces. I could see they were confused and bewildered by my actions. I didn't want to stick around to endure those silent looks, or get interrogated by them.

Esme nodded understandingly, which was worse in my opinion, and I excused myself.

I went up to my room and flung my overnight bag to the side. It hit the wall and sagged to the floor. I barely looked at it. I closed the door behind me and took off my shoes. No doubt Alice had already packed my bags for our vacation. Sure enough, propped against the wall next to my vanity, was five suitcases, each one big enough to fit all of the clothes in my wardrobe. I didn't know if I should throw something or cry. Alice and her clothing obsessions.

"Maybe I should read a book," I muttered to myself, eyes darting to the desk at the far end of my room. There wasn't anything else that I could do for the moment anyway.

A musical voice behind me startled me. "I pray to God you aren't going to read Wuthering Heights again."

I yelped in surprise and spun around. That, of course, was a terrible thing to do if you were as clumsy as I was. I ended up tripping over the air and falling backwards. Before I could hit my head on the vanity, though, Edward had caught me around the waist and pulled me back to my feet.

My heart was hammering away, but I hoped Edward took that to mean that I was just startled by him and the fall.

_Well, of course he'd take it to mean that. What else could it mean?_

Not for the first time, I found myself thanking whatever higher power there was that Edward couldn't read my mind.

He was chuckling as he withdrew his arm from my waist, but there was an underlying anxiety in his voice. I could even see it in his eyes, in the way he clenched his jaw and stared at me. Edward was never good at hiding from me. I might as well have Jasper's gift when I was around him.

But Edward would tell me what it was when it came up. And I had a sinking suspicion that it had something to do with what happened yesterday. _Not _something I wanted to talk about.

So I narrowed my eyes at him, and poked his chest with my finger. I doubted he even felt it. "That. Is. Not. _Funny_," I glowered.

He stifled his laughter, and smiled at me. "No, of course not." His voice was still teasing, though, and his smile spread across his face. Some of the tension left his body, and I was glad I could at least do that. I didn't like to see him suffering.

I turned away from him and walked over to my desk. "Wuthering Heights happen to be a very compelling novel," I informed him. "It's captivating."

Edward reached the desk before me, and I scowled. Stupid vampire speed. He crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "Yes, but there are other compelling novels out there, you know," he grinned. "Besides, I fail to see the intrigue of it."

I stared at him. Was he serious? I sighed. Of course he was. I'd tried to sway him on the subject over the years, but he wouldn't listen to me.

Wuthering Heights was one of my favorite books. Right up there with Romeo and Juliet. I found Heathcliff extremely interesting. His love for Catherine was so strong but he was too stubborn to see it clearly or fight for it. Instead, he ran off without knowing the full story, settled for Isabella Linton and became a tyrant. Despite it all, his love for Catherine still survived in his heart. And deep down, he wanted nothing more than to be with her. If they were reunited, he wouldn't have been the dark soul that he was.

I don't know-maybe it was just me. I had no idea why I was so obsessed with star crossed lovers. The stories didn't have happy endings, but I loved the tragic loves.

Maybe it was because I could use my overactive imagination and think of what it would be like if those characters haven't lost their love to death or something else. People who had suffered through a tragic love would never waste a single breath if they were given a second chance with their significant other. I think that's what attracted me to it.

Edward's smile disappeared, and my heartbeat accelerated. Oh, no, here it comes. He could hear my heartbeat, of course, but instead of the smile that graced his lips every time he heard it, his frown deepened.

"Bella, I have to discuss something with you," he said softly.

I think my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

As soon as Jasper and I reached home, I was attacked by everyone. Well, almost. Jasper and Carlisle held back while Rosalie, Alice and Emmett yelled at me. Even Esme was having trouble controlling herself-she was much too worried about Bella.

Apparently, Bella hadn't returned any of their phone calls. She had left one measly message on the answering machine, saying that she was fine and would return home the next day. She was at Danielle's for the day, taking her up on the sleepover offer.

I felt terrible, of course, but not one of them cared. I wouldn't have asked them to. I had upset Bella.

But why?

That one question had haunted my mind since she'd run off.

I knew that _I _was supposed to fall in love with her. I already had, in a different way of course, since the moment I laid eyes on her.

I'd loved her as my best friend, my little companion who could see right through my facades as easily as though I'd written it all down on a neon sign above my head. And she made me feel a lot better than I ever had in my existence-she saw me as a person, as a whole being. Not a monster. Even after knowing what I was, she wanted to be my friend. She wanted to be right next to me, and join me and my family forever.

That in itself was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. Amazing, and frightening at the same time.

But I was, in due time, to fall in love with her. To view her as someone I'd have in my life as a mate. In just two years, those feelings would surface according to Alice. And everybody knew you don't bet against Alice.

But why was she so upset? Was it because it was Tanya? Because she despised her? Because Tanya was always around to annoy her?

Or was it something else? No, it couldn't be. Bella was too young. Of course not.

After enduring the yells and the screams and the 'what-were-you-thinking' comments, I'd managed to slip through their Vulcan grip and went upstairs. I went into my room and paced, thinking.

Fall in love. With Bella. My Bella.

Of all the things…Were my family insane? (At this, Alice yelled "You're the crazy one!" from the living room). Sure, Bella was an integral part of my life. It felt like my existence was fueled by hers, not by the blood that I required to sustain me. If Bella were hurt or killed-I would cease to be, too.

But surely that was how the rest of the family felt? Don't they, too, felt that their lives revolved around Bella? I knew how much they loved her-it was on their thoughts constantly, daily. They would crumble and fall apart at the seams if something happened to her.

So yes, they felt the same way. Then how on earth was I, of all people, to fall in love with her? Maybe Alice was wrong this time. Maybe she was getting a vision of something else and this was just…Fantasy? Or something else?

My mind drifted back to the visions Alice had shown me.

Bella and I dancing. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was wearing the same midnight blue dress she wore in that first vision of her at this age. The first one she had allowed me to see, anyway. That coy smile was still on her lips. It was for me. That smile, the hello, the sparkling eyes…It was all for me. I remembered the part of the vision where she looked at me so lovingly. Where her eyes traced my features. They looked so beautiful that all I wanted was to lean down and kiss her.

I think I started hyperventilating.

And then I thought back to the second vision. The one where we were kissing. We pulled away. Bella's creamy skin looked as if it was glowing. Her smile was contagious. She looked older, much older than she was now, obviously. Mature. Endearing. Beautiful. We had declared our love for each other in each other's embrace. I wondered how many times we'd said it by then.

My eyes snapped open and I shook myself out of the memories. I still felt odd about this. How could Bella and I fall in love? What could possibly happen to make that a reality? This was so strange. I'd known her since she was a child. And in just two years, we'd be lovers?

I sank down on my bed, sitting down wearily. A vampire, tired. Well, there was a first time for everything.

I couldn't exactly think straight or concentrate on anything. Thinking in a million different directions wasn't helping the situation, either.

I stood up and walked out of my door. Before I even realized what I was doing, I had entered Bella's empty room. Her lingering scent enveloped me, and I closed my eyes, breathing it in.

More than once, her scent had triggered the monster in me. Fire would rage in my throat, burning me, tempting me. It was why no matter what Bella said, I would still believe that I was a monster. I just never said it in front of her-it made her upset and angry for some reason.

But this happened less and less. Even though her scent was intoxicating, and it grew more prominent as she grew older, I was slowly becoming desensitized by it. Even Jasper was slowly getting used to it.

More often than not, her scent calmed me. Freesia was mouthwatering, but it soothed me from time to time. I didn't know how on earth that was possible-that something that smelled so good to me could be so calming at the same time.

I sat at the edge of her bed and looked around her room. It was almost identical to the one she had back in London. Everything was the same except for her play area. It had been replaced by a mahogany study desk and bookshelves for Bella's favorite books. Among these are Romeo and Juliet and, of course, Wuthering Heights. Bella seemed to have a liking for stories concerning star crossed lovers. I thought the stories were too depressing, too horrendous. Wouldn't a sweet angel like Bella herself like a more uplifting story? One with a happy ending? Apparently not.

The only toy she had kept for herself was the bear, Coco, that she had gotten strangely attached to as a child. She kept it on the bed, and I snatched it up. Emmett would never let me live it down if he knew I was hugging Bella's bear, but I didn't care.

I needed to think and my head was clearer now that I was in Bella's room. Strange.

Something soft brushed against my leg and I almost jumped, startled. I looked down to see the orange cat I'd given Bella when she was only seven. It's been six years-almost seven-since then. The cat had gotten quite old, but Lilly still followed Bella around all the time. Her big eyes looked up at me, and she gave a small meow. It sounded like a whimper. Lilly missed Bella.

I chuckled to myself. Honestly. The girl bonded with vampires and animals more than she did with humans.

"Yeah, I miss her too, Lilly," I murmured, reaching down to stroke her fur.

I didn't know what to do with Bella, how to act around her, or what to say. I knew I needed to apologize. I wanted to. I should've seen it coming-even with Tanya blocking her mind the way she did, I should've anticipated it and moved off to find Esme or help Rosalie in the garage. Maybe if someone else was with me, she wouldn't have done that, and Bella wouldn't be mad at me.

But after I apologized, I didn't know what I should do. I knew I should at least attempt to dissuade the vision Alice had from becoming a reality. That meant avoiding her at all costs, putting up pretenses and acting like I was straying away.

It would hurt Bella, because I was her best friend. But it would hurt me more because I would be the one inflicting pain on her. Even though it wasn't physical, it was still harsh.

I heard Alice gasp from the living room. I knew she must have had a vision of my decision. _Edward Cullen!_ I heard her shriek in her head. _Don't you dare! Don't you dare do this to Bella! She-_

I was saved from further screaming from Alice's thoughts when Bella came in through the door. For that I was grateful. Alice might be tiny, but she could put Emmett in his place when she was angry. Besides, her voice was shrill when she yelled like that. My head actually felt like it was pounding.

I heard Bella apologize for her behavior and my guilt tripled. I was the one who had been reckless around Tanya and allowed her to do what she did. If I hadn't been quicker, Bella would have walked in on a much uglier sight.

I stopped breathing when I heard Bella's footsteps go up the stairs.

_Edward, be nice to her. It's not the time for one of your 'I'll-leave-to-make-it-better' moments._

_Oh, my poor baby…Wait 'til I get my hands on that wretched witch._

_I wonder if she really did break her ribs…No, no. I checked. I've enough experience to know. Still, it would make me feel infinitely better if she were to get an x-ray…She would never go to the hospital willingly. Maybe I could trick her._

_Man, Edward, you better fix this. I swear to God I'll break your bones if you don't._

_I should take her shopping to take her mind off things! She'd be happier if we went shopping… We are going to two fashion capitals of the world in two days. Oh, I can't wait! Bella and I will have SO much fun!_

_Oh, the emotions! I need to spend some time alone in the woods somewhere. I'll take Alice with me-_

Jasper's thoughts took an interesting turn. One that I didn't care to listen to, so I tuned him out. I focused instead on Bella coming in through the door.

She didn't notice me sitting on her bed. It was quite comical whenever she moved at human speed and I don't, even when I'm just sitting down. I feel like I'm watching a scene in slow motion.

She threw her bag to the side of the room where it hit a wall. I winced. Maybe she was still angry with me after all. Bella took off her shoes and glanced dejectedly at the five suitcases Alice had packed for her.

I grinned.

Knowing Alice, that was the least amount of clothes she wanted to pack for Bella. God only knows why she wanted to bring so much when her main goal for the vacation was to shop, anyway, but Alice was Alice. No one could understand the workings of her mind. Not even me.

Bella sighed and glanced at the desk at the far end of her room. "Maybe I should read a book," she mused to herself.

I snorted. I knew the exact book she would pick up the moment she reached her bookshelves. "I pray to God you aren't going to read Wuthering Heights again," I said.

Apparently, this startled her, and she yelped in surprise. She turned around quickly and almost ended up flying into her vanity. I rolled my eyes and caught her before it even happened. Thank God for vampire speed. Why on earth was she so clumsy? It was hilarious to see the situations she got herself into, though. Emmett would agree with me.

I started laughing, but Bella simply narrowed her eyes at me as I gently put her down on her feet. She poked my chest with her finger. It tickled a little, but I barely felt it. "That. Is. Not. Funny," she hissed.

She was glaring at me, her hands on her hips now. I controlled my laughter, but I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "No, of course not," I said, merely to pacify her.

Her heart was still beating a mile a minute. I frowned at it. Really, you would think she would be used to falling by now. I wondered why her heart still reacted to tripping the way it did. It was funny to hear, soothing a little. I liked hearing her heart beating. It reminded me that she was still human, still safe and innocent. I wouldn't be able to hear it much longer-unless I came up with a foolproof plan, of course.

But surely beating this fast wasn't a good thing? It was like she was having a mini panic attack.

Bella turned away from me and my frown deepened. Was she trying to avoid me? Was she that angry at me? "Wuthering Heights happen to be a very compelling novel," she said, walking over to her desk. "It's captivating."

I used my full speed and reached her desk before she did. I crossed my arms across my chest and leaned against the mahogany table. Bella scowled when she saw me. Yes, she was definitely angry. And she had reason to be, too.

"Yes, but there are other compelling novels out there, you know?" I teased her, hoping to get her to lighten up before I spoke. I didn't want to be on her bad side when she started ranting or have a temper. I think Rose and Alice rubbed off on her-she could easily scare Emmett on her worse day. "Besides, I fail to see the intrigue of it."

Bella simply stared at me, as if she couldn't believe what I just said. I waited to see a smile, or hear her comeback-Lord only knows she was full of them-or a sarcastic remark. But she just stared.

I sighed inwardly, as my smile slipped off my lips. "Bella," I said softly. "I have something to discuss with you."

I heard her heartbeat accelerate-a reflex to any sort of stress, as far as I knew. I took her hand and gently guided her back to her bed. I placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed so she sat on the edge of it. I sat next to her.

I turned my body slightly so that I was facing her. Her big brown eyes stared back at me, curious and anxious. I took a deep breath and began.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered. "I didn't know…She just attacked me out of nowhere. I didn't have the chance to move out of the way."

Bella shook her head, holding up a hand to stop me. "It's not my place, Edward," she said. Her voice was that firm one, the voice she always used whenever she wanted to be strong so that she could break down later. The one she used so that the other person wouldn't think of her as weak.

My heart broke. She had never used it in front of me before. She had always come to me for comfort. She had always looked to me to be there for her while she let it all out. That's changed now.

"If this is what makes you happy, then so be it. I'm just a friend, Edward, you don't have to explain anything to me…I was just surprised to see it," she admitted, looking away.

If things weren't so dire, I would have laughed. She thought I _wanted _Tanya? She thought I enjoyed her embrace? If I hadn't been so torn apart and confused by what had transpired, I would've torn Tanya to shreds.

"Bella," I called out, stunned. She didn't look at me, or answer me. I placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face gently. I wanted to look into her eyes so she would see the sincerity behind mine. I wanted her to see the honesty of my words.

"I don't want it," I told her. "I never did. She came out of nowhere. I only had time to move my head," I explained.

Bella's dark eyes lightened slightly, and a hint of a smile showed on her lips.

"I just wanted you to know…I'd never do that. I'm sorry, Bella. I-I hate that you're angry at me," I confessed, searching her brown orbs for a hint of forgiveness.

Bella sighed and dropped her eyes though her face was still tilted towards mine due to my finger. I dropped my hand. "I'm not angry at you, Edward," she said finally. "Like I said, I was just surprised. It's not up to me who you choose. I just…" She blushed suddenly.

I gazed at the crimson color of her cheeks, and wondered. Why on earth would she be embarrassed? What was it that was on her mind at this point? I was beyond curious. Her answer would be like that first drops of water for a dying man in the middle of a desert. "What is it?" I asked softly.

Bella shrugged and didn't answer. "Won't you tell me?" I asked, leaning forward. Bella looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of me so close. "Please?"

For some odd reason, her heartbeat grew faster. I frowned a little. Her eyes glazed over and her mouth hung open slightly. Was she alright?

Then it came to me. I was a vampire. I just breathed my venom at her-it would've enticed her, the way a prey would be enticed by its predator before its survival instincts kicked in. Of course, in Bella's case, she had no survival instinct.

So I leaned back.

She caught herself and flushed a darker shade of crimson. "I just…" She sighed, resigned to telling me the truth. She looked up at me and her eyes took on a defiant glint, as if daring me to make fun of her for telling me what was on her mind. I waited patiently.

"I just thought that if you and Tanya would get together, you'd end up staying in Denali forever." Tanya and her clan didn't venture into civilization very often. They didn't maintain the kind of appearances us Cullens do. "I was just upset that I would never see you around a lot or anything like that."

I didn't have it in my heart to laugh at her. She wouldn't be seeing me around a lot. Not because of Tanya. I couldn't even bring myself to use her. It would be morally repugnant. Not to mention it would hurt Bella too much. I wasn't out to hurt her the most. I just wanted to keep my distance as best as I could.

"Bella," my voice broke. I cleared my throat discreetly so that I could speak without betraying my emotions. I reached out and placed my hands on either side of her face. "You would always be my best friend. No matter what. I want-no, I need you to remember that. Promise me?"

Bella's eyes widened as she took in the gravity of my tone. She searched my face for any sign as to why I was acting so serious. But my face was devoid of any emotion, devoid of any reason. I had gotten good at that throughout my existence. I had to, due to what I am. "I promise," she whispered, blinking.

I nodded my head and smiled at her a little to show her we were alright. Then I leaned forward, dipped her head slightly and kissed her forehead. I felt the skin underneath my lips heating up as Bella blushed. I smiled wider and pulled back, releasing her.

"I'll leave you to it," I waved around the room aimlessly. Bella nodded her head, still blushing, and picked at the fabric of her shirt.

I stood up and walked out of the room, forcing myself to not look back even once. When I was safely in the confines of my own room, I sighed heavily and plopped down on my black couch ungracefully.

Keeping away from Bella. I squeezed my eyes shut and placed a hand over them as if I was tired.

This was going to be painful and practically impossible.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Okay, so there it was. Chapter 21. I'll post the next one in a few hours since I won't be able to post anything during the night. I'll start again on Monday, though, so don't worry._

_The Cullens would be going on vacation soon to NYC and Paris. Tell me if you want to see their family bonding a little, or if you'd prefer to skip their vacation altogether and have more drama back in Denali. Or if you want Tanya to somehow tag along on their family vacation. LOL. That's just evil, but yeah. I'd love the opinions._

_More than 1000 reviews now!!! Wow, I can't believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who have read and reviewed and gave me your opinions on a myriad of matters. I appreciate it all, and I hope you continue as I keep writing this story._

_P.S. Don't worry, Edward will get over his stupid idea of keeping Bella safe soon. I have a plot for that. It involved Tanya and an incredibly pissed off Bella. Wait to see what happens! I'm giddy with excitement just thinking of it._

_Eddielover101, If Edward were here, he'd wring my neck. I can't believe I forgot 'Masen'! Ugh! Thanks for reminding me…_

_Bri285536, I'm glad you decided to give my story a chance. I hope that you wouldn't regret it._

_Capella85, LOL. Thank you, friend. I appreciate it._

_Tigermoonlight67, the Cullens would be desensitized by it. They would smell if of course. But they're mostly unaffected since they've all been around her for years. And as for Jasper, he would have control problems, but he keeps remembering the time when he almost attacked Bella (after Connor bit her) and it keeps him from doing the same thing._

_Some of you still think that Bella's too young but I think it's just right. Bella's almost 14. It'll be two years before ExB start realizing and working towards being together. Edward needs the time and Bella needs to grow mentally, physically, emotionally. It'll also be good to see Edward get jealous of other boys and think 'MINE', especially when Bella gets her first boyfriend._

_Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you so much._

_Juliet._


	22. Vacation As You Desire Me

_**A/N: **__The Cullens go on vacation. Don't worry, not too much of it since it'll be a one chapter thing. Next chapter will be when they're back in Denali. More Tanya for you. I'm sorry for those who wish she's curl up and die somewhere-I just love the drama. Don't fret because she'll get what's coming to her. Soon._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Alice, Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

My brother was, to put it simply, stupid.

_Yes, Edward. That's what I think, so if you're reading my mind-you deserve it_!

How on earth could he think that staying away from Bella would be a good thing? He had quite a lot of progress considering the fact that we _were _on vacation.

It's been almost thirty days since Edward had explained to Bella that Tanya had thrown herself at him.

So, yes, I overreacted. But come on! You can't blame me! I'd _only _been waiting to see Edward and Bella get together since that fateful day I went hunting with Jasper, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. Ever since I got those visions, Edward and Bella became my highest priority.

They might not know it and I might not be allowed to think about it whenever Edward's around, but these past seven years have been torture for me.

All I want is to see the two of them as happy as they were in my visions.

And now Edward's avoiding Bella. Not to the extreme-even he couldn't do that.

He sat next to Rose on the plane-much to both Rose's and Emmett's dislike, of course. He didn't take her out to any music stores or museums, and he barely spoke to her.

According to Jasper, Bella felt like she had done something wrong. Like there was something she did that drove him away.

My God.

If it weren't for the fact that it would upset Bella, I would have killed Edward. He could be so silly sometimes.

And if he thought he was keeping the rest of us from seeing how hurt he was by staying away from Bella, he wasn't doing a very good job. He had to hunt twice as much. He looked like the walking dead-pun intended. And Jasper told me that he was on emotion overload every time Edward's around.

If he had felt the need to explain to her then it obviously upset him to think that Bella thought he was with Tanya.

Edward was a very stubborn man.

If he had wanted to ignore us, even if we were upset, he would have done it easily. The fact that he could read our minds did nothing.

He had _wanted _to apologize to Bella. He had _wanted _to make sure she was fine. He had _wanted _to ease her pain. And yet, here he was, causing her sorrow.

How ridiculous indeed.

I'd taken Bella on numerous shopping sprees. None of which had helped. That, of course, I didn't understand. Shopping was a very spiritual journey-it always helped _me _whenever I had a problem to solve.

She'd spent time with the entire family asides from Edward. The only time she saw him was when we assembled for our flights to New York and to Paris. Sometimes Carlisle and Esme would think up of family activities-like a trip to the Rockefeller Center when we were in NYC. Edward had to come then, too.

But he didn't join us for Bella's human meals like breakfast since none of us ate. He didn't bring her anywhere. He barely even spoke to her.

I felt like just slapping him hard until he crashed into the wall of his suite and then telling Bella everything.

But I couldn't.

None of us could.

Telling Edward was compromise enough, though I would have to say it helped if this was the reaction we'd get from him in two years if he found out then. Bella would just be scared of it all, and I didn't need to rile her up unnecessarily.

It was Tuesday night. We had about twelve days of vacation left before we were to head back to Denali.

I rolled my eyes as I studied the high ceiling of my bedroom in my suite. We had all gotten suites at Hotel Ritz. I hadn't been here in over twenty five years…I missed it terribly.

I felt the bed shift and smiled slightly. I didn't turn my head or say anything to acknowledge Jazz as he scooted closer to me, but he knew I felt him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed his lips to my neck, right at the crescent scar.

"What are you thinking about?" he murmured against my skin. "I can feel the anxiety and frustration rolling off of you in waves."

I sighed, finally turning to face Jasper. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, breathing him in.

"Edward and Bella," I told him, my voice low. I couldn't risk Edward overhearing us-even if he was three suites away. "I just don't know what to do."

And that was a first. I _always _knew what to do. I was the psychic. Things came to me like missing puzzle pieces. I would find the place they're supposed to be in a second.

But Edward's determination to stay away from her was too strong. He would waver-that much I knew. The vision of Edward and Bella together hasn't changed.

They would still be dancing when she's sixteen.

They would still be kissing when she's seventeen.

And Bella would still be a vampire when she's eighteen.

But my brother was still staying away. I couldn't see-yet-how that was going to change. I hoped it happened in the near future.

I tried to ease my tense muscles. I was going to look into the future again, to see if anything's changed. It wouldn't be a help if I felt like a spring coil, ready to bounce off the bed and attack an invisible force at any given moment.

I felt Jasper's gift working its magic. The serenity that came with his presence alone was enough to calm me, but his gift was definitely an added bonus.

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning up to kiss his jaw.

I closed my eyes again and focused. My eyes flew open and I gasped.

Jasper looked at me worriedly. "What is it?" he asked, his tone wary. I knew from the look on his face that he was worried about what Edward would do.

I shook my head, and climbed over him to get off the bed. I darted around the suite, grabbing my clothes and shrugging them on. "I have to go!" I shouted at him, too excited to care if I'd just woken up the entire Ritz.

Bella was going to be surprised beyond belief when she wakes up tomorrow.

At the door, I turned around and stalked back to Jasper. Grabbing his chin in my hand, I looked into his confused eyes and said, "You have to hunt tonight. Trust me. Take Emmett-and Edward, by force if you have to-and hunt. Don't ask why. I'll tell you when I get back."

I crushed my lips to his, yelled out 'I love you' and dashed out the door. This was going to be _fun_!

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I snorted a little as I shifted to my side as I slept. My eyes snapped open groggily and I stared at the wall I was facing blearily.

Why did everything felt so…odd? And why does my stomach hurt so much? My thighs…Something felt wrong.

I tried to move but I flopped back down on the bed with a groan. My stomach hurt too much. I felt sick.

The door burst open and Alice bounded in, her face split into a wide smile. I stared at her suspiciously. Why on earth was she in my room? And why was she so happy?

"Wow, it even smells stronger in here!" she mused, her nose in the air as she sniffed. "Thank God I told the boys to hunt last night. Jazz would've had a lot of trouble if they hadn't."

Was I in some sort of twisted dream? What on earth was Alice talking about.

I opened my mouth to ask her just that, but she held up her hand. "I've got something for you," she sang out mischievously.

"Don't embarrass her, Alice, just give it to her already!" I heard Rosalie's chiding voice from the living room in my suite.

I felt my eyebrows draw together. Rosalie was here? Why? What was going on?

Alice sighed, and her face fell slightly as if she had been denied something she coveted dearly. Then she started to smile again as her left hand came out from behind her back and she handed me a box.

I studied it as she let it fall on my side.

Tampons.

My eyes grew wide. _Tampons_!?

I started hyperventilating as I shot out of the bed. Sure enough, there was a small pool of blood on the bed sheets. I gave a small shriek of surprise and horror.

Alice didn't seem to gauge my reaction the right way. In fact, she was thrilled. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. "Congratulations!" she squealed. "You're a woman now!"

I couldn't have been more mortified.

Alice started talking about how now I could start dating boys, and being involved, and how Esme and Carlisle would have to give me 'the talk'. I shuddered. I didn't even want to think about that.

I had once asked Emmett, of all people, where babies came from. I had been seven at the time. My parents wouldn't tell me the first hundred times I asked them. I would've asked Esme, but she had been out in the garden. Emmett had been sitting right next to me, so I made the mistake of asking him.

Emmett had always told me everything I needed to know, so I asked. He started chuckling and opened his mouth to tell me. It had involved birds and bees, which I didn't understand at the time. I asked him to clarify but when he had started to, Edward had cut in. He'd said that babies actually fell from heaven and that they go to only nice people.

Of course, when I found out the truth, I became furious at Edward. He'd lied to me! Babies didn't come from heaven! They came from…You know.

Then again, I couldn't stay mad at him for long. I couldn't imagine having Edward tell me how babies really come to exist. It was too embarrassing.

And painful, according to the diagrams.

So if 'the talk' was anything like that then I would rather crawl inside a pit of snakes than endure it with Esme and Carlisle, of all people.

"Alice, let her shower and change first," I heard Esme's motherly voice float into the room, cutting off Alice's excited chatter. "She must feel uncomfortable."

Another icy block of dread shot down my spine.

They were all _vampires_. They could _smell _the blood a hundred miles away. It was stronger, no doubt, because I was technically bleeding.

Alice had gotten a vision of this. She'd asked the boys to hunt. Had she told them? Did they know before I did?

Oh, God, just let the earth open up and swallow me whole.

I still had four years of this left!

Alice pushed me in the direction of the bathroom, box of tampons in my hand. She said something about taking care of the bloody sheets, and not to worry about my outfit because she'd lain it all out for me.

I barely listened to her.

This was undoubtedly the first time in my life that I regretted living with vampires.

******************************************************************************

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I'd already showered-scrubbing every possible inch of me to rid of the smell of blood. I might not be a vampire, but I could still smell the rusty smell of it coming off of me. It made me dizzy and nauseated.

Alice had given me a black skirt that went all the way to just above my knees, and a midnight blue top. The tampon made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. It felt strange wearing it.

I sighed, deciding that I couldn't put off coming out of the bathroom long enough. I stepped out and walked into the bedroom. The sheets have been exchanged for clean ones.

My face instantly flushed as I remembered how I woke up. I thought of Alice and how she'd had to change the sheets quickly before the smell of the blood got to any of us-them because of their bloodlust and me because of my aversion to blood.

I blushed even more.

I hesitated before I walked out of my bedroom. Alice, Esme and Rosalie were watching the television, sitting on the couch. Well, Esme and Rosalie were. Alice was too busy bouncing in her seat to really see anything.

When she saw me come out of my room, she squealed again and ran to hug me. I winced. Now _definitely _wasn't the time for one of Alice's hugs.

I swallowed, hoping the nausea and the pain in my stomach would fade.

Alice seemed to know what the problem was because she darted around the room at lightning speed.

Before I could even blink, she was right back at my side with a glass of water and two pills in her hand. I looked at her questioningly.

"It'll help with the pain," she grinned. I smiled at her gratefully, and swallowed the pills, gulping down the water.

Rosalie and Esme knew that I rather we didn't discuss this, so they stood up simultaneously. They smiled at me, though, and I think I gave them a grimace in return. "Ready to go for breakfast?" Esme asked me gently.

I stared at her, horrified. Alice giggled next to me, and I turned to glare at her. "I can't go out!" I spluttered.

Esme frowned, not understanding. "Why not, dear?" she asked patiently.

"I'm-I'm…" I didn't know how to say it exactly. I felt my skin turn a ridiculous shade of red. I was blushing so hard I could practically feel the heat coming off my skin.

Alice laughed harder, her tinkling voice echoing around the room.

"I can't…My _condition_," I muttered, too mortified to say it louder than a whisper.

When Esme and Rosalie realized that I was ashamed to go out when the entire family could clearly smell my blood, they laughed. "Bella," Rosalie shook her head, still giggling along with Esme and Alice. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about! They already know!"

This didn't comfort me at all. I felt the tears starting to well up behind my eyes at my newfound humiliation. "I'm going back to my room," I muttered angrily.

Alice stopped me, steering me towards the front door. "Now, now, you have to have breakfast-"

"Room service!" I snapped at her, clawing my hardest at her marble skin to get away. But of course, that had absolutely no effect on her whatsoever.

I was _not _going to face my father, my brothers and Edward like this. I _couldn't_. It was too…I just can't!

"Really, Bella," Esme said-once she'd controlled her laughter. "You've got at least four years of this left. You can't go into hiding every month!"

Alice had already opened the door and was pushing me through it. I grabbed hold of both sides of the doorway and held onto the doorframe. "Watch me!" I snapped at them.

Rosalie and Alice shared another look and burst into giggles. I scowled at them. What on earth was so hilarious to them this time?

"Talk about PMS, sis!" Alice chuckled.

Alice was stronger, after all, and she would've sent me out the door with chunks of wood in my hands if she had to. So I lost my fight.

I rolled my eyes at them. _This _was what they found funny? The fact that I was uncomfortable, in pain (which was, admittedly, ebbing away slowly) and angry at everything and everyone for no apparent reason?

Great.

What a day to have vampires as a family.

I met Jasper down the hall, and Alice immediately left my side to go to his side, smiling widely. He stiffened a little as he drew closer to me, then he relaxed, his eyes the color of light gold-almost yellow, even. Jasper smiled wickedly at me, winking.

I pouted at him, crossed my arms across my chest and looked away, sniffing slightly.

"What's this?" came Emmett's booming laughter from behind us. As usual, his loud voice that came out of nowhere startled me and I stumbled a little. Esme caught me before I could crack my head against the floor. "Our little rebel?"

I was miffed! They all knew! I threw my hands up in the air and glared at Alice. "Why don't you just hire a skywriter and broadcast this to the entire world!?" I hissed, turning around to go back to my room.

Instead, I bumped into Carlisle. "You know, Rosalie wanted me to give you a talk…" he pondered amusedly, almost to himself.

I was pretty sure my face was beet red by now.

"Dad?" I called his attention. His golden eyes shifted back to me. "Gross," I said firmly.

The entire family burst out laughing, which only intensified my embarrassment. After five minutes of rolling around in the hallway laughing, Jasper took pity on me and sent out waves of calmness around the room, and waves of confidence at me.

Edward wouldn't show up for breakfast, for which I was eternally glad for. Maybe he'd avoid me long enough until my period was over. Period. Ugh.

I bumped into someone the minute I stepped out of the elevator. Great. Clumsy Bella at it again. I guess womanhood didn't come with grace.

I blushed as the other person held out both hands and steadied me by the shoulders. I looked up into the most startling blue eyes I'd ever seen. It was electric, almost, dark. The owner of these midnight blue eyes was a fifteen year old boy, with light brown hair and the most enchanting smile I'd ever seen.

"Désolé," I said, using my French. I'd studied French for three years now-something Alice had insisted on. And living in a house full of vampires, your accent starts getting stronger.

The boy with the electric blue eyes smiled wider. "Ce n'est pas grave," he replied. _It's no problem._ I blushed harder, while hoping to whatever powers out there that I didn't look like a tomato or anything. "I'm Gabriel," he introduced himself.

I was so nervous, I was surprised I even remembered my name let alone say it out loud. "Bella," I took his hand.

The moment our hands touched, I felt the electricity zinged between us. I dropped his hand immediately.

"Well, I should…" I peered over his shoulder to see that my family had disappeared. I frowned. Where had they gone?

Gabriel turned to look in my direction and smiled. "Have your family left?" he asked, turning back to raise an eyebrow at me.

It was so hard to talk to him or hear him talk without blushing! Good God, something was wrong with me. "Uh, I guess so…I'll go find them," I said, backing out of his proximity and going in the direction of the hotel restaurant. Maybe they were in there, waiting for me for breakfast. Ridiculous since I was the only one who ate breakfast.

"Bella!" Gabriel called me back. I turned around to look at him. What could he want? "Will I see you around?" he asked, his blue eyes piercing, his voice hopeful.

I started. He wanted to see me around? Me? Plain ol' Bella? I would think that I would be even less desirable in a place like Paris. Wasn't this one of the most romantic cities in the world? Just look around-girls my age look like they could be walking down the catwalk.

"If you want to," I replied.

Gabriel broke out into the most stunning smile I'd ever seen. "Then I will see you around. A bientôt." _See you soon._

I smiled at him, and turned to walk away. I didn't trip once on the way to the restaurant. A miracle, no less. I found my family-minus Edward, of course-sitting at our usual table. They were each engrossed in their significant other, so I thought I would get away with it.

But the moment I sat down, their topaz eyes turned to me. "So…" Alice squealed.

"So what?" I asked, blushing, looking down at the table top.

Alice begun squealing God knows what-her words were too fast and high pitched. I looked around the room anxiously, to see almost everyone looking at us. "Alice! Please! A little quieter!" I said, waving at her to calm her.

When she didn't heed, I gave Jasper a pleading look. He chuckled, and leaned forward to kiss Alice on the cheek. I could feel the calming waves he sent out-not only to her, but to me, as well.

"Are you going to see him again?" Alice asked, leaning forward. Her brilliant eyes gleamed with excitement. She looked almost out of breath and way too excited. She looked…Flushed, even. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Alice to be even more excited about a boy than I was.

"I don't know, Alice," I said irritably. My bad mood was back. "He's just someone I bumped into, okay?"

"Literally," Emmett chortled. I shot him a dark look.

I heard footsteps approaching, but I didn't think anything of it. "Who's someone you bumped into?" The musical voice. The sweet scent that washed over me the moment he sat. I turned a little to glance at Edward's composed face. He was here. Sitting next to me. For breakfast.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted out. I was too shocked to see him. I'd barely caught a glimpse of him throughout the vacation. The only times we were in the same room was at the airport and when Carlisle and Esme forced him to come with us. But that was in New York. I haven't seen him since we checked into the Hotel Ritz.

Edward shrugged, not meeting my gaze. "Breakfast," was all he said.

My shocked expression turned into a hardened glare. I didn't know what his problem was, but he was getting on my nerves. One moment he was saying we would be best friends no matter what and the next he was avoiding me like the plague.

_I _was having PMS, and my mood swings couldn't keep up with his. What does that tell you?

I turned back to my breakfast-probably Rosalie had gotten it for me. I downed the orange juice in one gulp and picked up my fork. I hoped no one would tell him about Gabriel. That was my own little…Well, not secret. It was insignificant, I was sure. But I still didn't want Edward to know.

"But he said he'll see you soon, right?" Alice finally blurted out, after bouncing about in her seat for five minutes.

I dropped my fork. "_Alice_!" I hissed, glaring daggers at her. "How do you even know about that?"

She rolled her eyes at me, and tapped her forehead. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. "At times like these I wonder what it's like to be a part of a _normal _family," I said through clenched teeth. This only made them laugh.

"Who said they'll see you?"

I turned to look at Edward. For once, his face wasn't blank of all emotions. He looked confused. And he wasn't laughing like the others.

"None of your business," I said firmly. It wasn't. Not his. Not Alice's. Not any of theirs. It was just one little encounter by the elevator. Nothing that should elicit a humiliating conversation about.

Edward's gaze hardened and he shifted it to Alice. His golden eyes turned black almost instantly. "A boy?" he asked through clenched teeth. I noticed his hands were curled into fists.

I shot Alice a wounded look. "You weren't supposed to tell!" I snapped.

She merely shrugged, not even having the decency to look abashed or repentant. "He's a mind-reader, sis. Nothing I could do about that," she giggled.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Today was probably the worst day of my life, not counting the day Edward started ignoring me. And it was only eight thirty in the morning.

"What do you know about this boy?" Edward asked quietly. I could hear the strain behind the calm façade he put on, though.

Like I said, I knew him. I knew him better than anyone did. The only thing that was a complete mystery to me was why he suddenly decided to avoid me.

I didn't answer him. It wasn't my obligation to. He wasn't Carlisle or Esme or Rosalie. He didn't hold authority over me. He was simply my best friend-who didn't even want to be near me anymore.

"What's his name? Why was he talking to you?"

I couldn't hold it in any longer. For weeks he had ignored me, and made me feel like I'd done something wrong by him. He wouldn't even sit next to me. He wouldn't talk to me or look at me. The most he'd said to me was 'Hello' when I greeted him in the morning.

And now all of a sudden he wanted to take interest in what I do? Who I talk to?

Who did he think he was?

I turned around in my chair and glared at him, pouring out all my anger in that one look. Edward stopped talking altogether, and stared at me, shocked. "You have no right to go snooping into what I do. You've been avoiding me, not giving a damn for weeks. So excuse me if I decided not to mope around forever, and decided to have a life. So, yes, I met a boy. And no, I won't say anything. It's none of your business who I talk to. Why don't you just go do whatever the hell you were doing these past few weeks and just leave me alone!"

I scraped my chair back, causing him to wince because of his super hearing. I stood up and stalked off. Thankfully I was out of the restaurant when I stumbled. I caught hold of the wall and steadied myself before I could do any damage.

I felt like crying, felt like screaming. But I didn't have it in me. Why on earth was Edward ignoring me? It hurt me that he did. I knew Jasper felt it, and he had probably told the others. But they never brought it up, and I was grateful for that. I didn't want to talk about it, or how I was feeling. I just wanted it all to fade away. And if avoiding me was a phase, I'd like it to be over soon.

The elevator doors opened-and Gabriel was standing there. This was the second time I'd met Gabriel near the elevator. Interesting. I raised an eyebrow and he smiled. "Bella," he said, stepping out.

"Hey, Gabriel," I blushed.

He looked around as if he was looking for someone. Of course he was. He was probably looking for his beautiful European girlfriend. A wave of dejection hit me, surprising me. Dejected? Over Gabriel? Why?

I studied his features. Maybe I was attracted to him. He _was _a beautiful boy.

But then again, Europe was filled with beautiful boys. You just had to step out into the street to know that. No wonder this was one of the most romantic places on earth. With people as beautiful as them, they must fall in love left and right.

"Where are your family?" he asked me, turning his gaze back to me. He was looking for my family? Huh.

I shrugged. "They're at breakfast," I said. Which wasn't a complete lie-they were at breakfast. They were just not eating anything.

"And you?"

I sighed, shuffling my feet. "I wasn't all that hungry," I mumbled.

Gabriel surprised me by taking my hand in his. He felt so warm…It was so different from the cold hands I've gotten used to. "Why don't you come with me, then?" he asked, smiling. "I was just going to Jardin du Luxembourg." The Luxembourg Gardens. I haven't been there yet. But did Gabriel know where he was going? What if we got lost? I suppose Alice would see it…

My reluctance must have shown on my face, because Gabriel chuckled. "Don't worry. I live in Paris. I've been there all the time," he assured me.

I considered. What was the harm in going? It was better than being cooped up in my room all day. I gave him a smile and nodded my head.

"Allons-y!"

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Esme had asked-demanded, more likely-me to join the others for breakfast. She had come up to my suite last night and had practically yelled at me for being so distant with the family over the past few weeks.

"Do you have any idea how hurt we all are? You're a part of the family, Edward, so start acting like it! I want you downstairs at eight thirty tomorrow. Be with us for breakfast," she had said.

It was ridiculous that I even had to be there for breakfast. We don't eat. I sighed as I grabbed my iPod and headed out the door. Esme would be doubly mad if I didn't go and I didn't want that.

I knew the others were critical of my decision, but there was no other way.

I didn't want to harm Bella any more than I had. Because of me, she was going to be damned to this life. Because of me, she was going to be damned with someone like me falling for her.

Me.

The monster with no soul.

How could this even happen? How could Alice let it happen? Of course, it wasn't her fault. It wasn't anyone's but mine. And fate. I could blame fate for this.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button. When I reached the lobby, the usual rush of voices greeted me. I'd gotten so used to it by now that it didn't bother me. It was just funny that the voices were mostly in French now instead of English.

_Bella…_

My head snapped up as I heard her name. I looked around but I couldn't identify the person who had thought it. My family weren't around either so I knew it couldn't be them or someone they were talking to.

I caught myself and shook my head. What was wrong with me? It could have been any Bella, not the Bella I knew. I was going crazy. That was the only explanation I could think of.

I stepped into the restaurant to hear my family talking.

"Are you going to see him again?" Alice was asking.

Him? Who was 'him'? And was she addressing Bella? My curiosity made me slow down so I could hear more of this conversation.

"I don't know, Alice," Bella was saying. "He's just someone I bumped into."

Emmett started laughing, as if he'd heard the funniest joke. "Literally," he quipped. Bella simply glared at me.

I had already reached the table, so there was no point in ignoring the subject. "Who's someone you bumped into?" I asked, taking the empty seat next to Bella.

_About damned time,_ Rosalie thought irritably.

_Dude, you're joining us?_ Emmett thought, his inner voice almost in awe.

_Hmm. Maybe I should move my food around and see if I could make it look as if I ate something_, Jasper thought. I raised an eyebrow. Of course, Alice must have told him last night that I was joining them for breakfast.

_I know what you are, what you are, baby. Womanizer, woman-womanizer. You're a womanizer. Oh, womanizer-_

Good God. Alice was either out to kill me with horrendous choice of songs, or she was planning something. It was hard to decide which.

_Thank you for joining us_, Esme shot at me. I inclined my head in her direction.

_Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. Only my woman could persuade Edward to join us today_, Carlisle thought smugly, the arm around Esme's shoulder's tightening slightly.

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked. Her mouth was agape, and her eyes were wide as she stared at me. Her eyes. The big brown inquisitive eyes I'd missed. I almost sighed out loud. Then I caught myself.

_What on earth are you doing, Edward?_ I asked myself. I shrugged, "Breakfast." I couldn't even look at Bella as I answered her. She was just a child. Just a few months shy of fourteen. This was just…Wrong.

My one word answer seemed to make her angry. Her shocked expression vanished, only to be replaced by a glare. She turned away from me, not answering my question. She took the glass of orange juice in front of her and chugged the contents down at one go.

I stared. Was this some sort of girl thing? Alice had warned me of today's…Issue. I could smell the blood coming off of her. It was stronger, more potent. I was clenching and unclenching my fist as we spoke, but it was bearable.

Even Jasper was coping.

I was right-the scent of her blood didn't get to us as much when we were desensitized from it. It had been seven years of being surrounded by her scent. It almost didn't bother me at all. Almost.

Alice was still singing that dreadful song in her head as she bounced impatiently in her seat. "But he said he'll see you soon, right?" she blurted out, unable to wait any longer.

Bella's eyes widened and her heartbeat grew faster. "Alice!" she cried, outraged. "How do you even know about that?"

Alice rolled her eyes and tapped her forehead.

Bella groaned, and shut her eyes. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "At times like these," she spat out through clenched teeth. "I wonder what it's like to be a part of a _normal _family."

She placed emphasis on 'normal', because we weren't close to it. Vampires, a mind-reader, an empath and a psychic. What was normal about that?

Alice and the others laughed, but I was too distracted with the 'him' that wanted to see Bella again. Was it the same person that had thought her name at the elevator? Who was he? What was his name?

"Who said they'll see you?" I asked, confused. When had all this happen? Had I been gone that long?

"None of your business!" Bella snapped at me.

I glared at her, then turned to look at Alice expectantly. None of the others' thoughts showed me what I wanted to know. I mentally urged Alice to show me.

Her smile grew more prominent, and her mind opened just the slightest. I saw a boy, fifteen years of age probably. He was talking to Bella by the elevators. I couldn't catch what he said, or what she replied. But I knew the look of adoration on his face. I saw the blush on her cheeks as they shook hands.

Alice closed her mind right after, and I scowled, turning back to face Bella. My Bella. This fourteen year old girl. With a boy? I was shocked! How could Carlisle and Esme allow it? For that matter, how did Rosalie allow it? "A boy?" I asked her. I didn't know if it came out shocked or disgusted.

I thought of Bella with a boy. The Bella that I had gone to all costs to protect. With a boy. Doing…things. My hands instinctively curled into fists.

Bella gasped, then turned to Alice. "You weren't supposed to tell!" she exclaimed, angry that her privacy had been denied.

Alice shrugged. "He's a mind-reader, sis," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Nothing I could do about that." Alice giggled-because she _had _done something about that. She had blocked her mind from me, but shown me that particular information specifically.

I ignored that, and their exchange. I focused instead on this boy I knew nothing about. "What do you know about this boy?" I asked. When neither Bella nor the others answered me, I grew agitated. "What's his name? Why was he talking to you?"

Bella turned to me, and the anger in her eyes was so evident, it burned into me. I stopped talking altogether and stared at her open-mouthed. I was a vampire, so I wasn't afraid. But if I had been human, that look would have been enough to send me into a panic attack at the very least.

"You have no right to go snooping into what I do. You've been avoiding me, not giving a damn for weeks. So excuse me if I decided not to mope around forever, and decided to have a life. So, yes, I met a boy. And no, I won't say anything. It's none of your business who I talk to. Why don't you just go do whatever the hell you were doing these past few weeks and just leave me alone!" she growled at me.

Yes, she _growled_. _At me_.

What were the odds of that?

Bella scraped the chair on the floor. Due to my sensitive hearing, it was magnified a thousand times. I winced, but she ignored that. She stood up and stalked off, not even tripping once.

I stared at the direction she had left, mouth agape. Then I slowly turned back to my family who were somewhere between shocked and amused. "What was that?" I asked, my voice strangled.

"That, my brother," Rosalie said, leaning back into her chair smugly. "Was the wrath of a woman experiencing PMS."

I raised an eyebrow. That was not what I expected to hear.

Suddenly Alice squealed. "They're going out!" she said breathlessly. I felt the familiar feeling of dread shot through me. "Oh, that's so sweet!" she placed a hand over her chest as her smile widened.

"Who's going out?" Emmett asked, confused.

"Gabriel and Bella!"

For the life of me, I couldn't understand why I felt so angry.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

It has been twelve days since I met Gabriel. And twelve days since he'd more or less made me forget about Edward.

Gabriel, as it turned out, was staying at the hotel for his sister's wedding. He had been bored out of his mind because everyone had been too busy preparing for the big day to take note of him.

That first day, he took me out to Luxembourg Gardens. We sat in front of the palace, and just hung out and talked. I hadn't done that with a boy my age. Ever. Even with my friends back home, or in London…I never talked this much.

With Gabriel, it was easier. I think it was because he was virtually a stranger. They said you could reveal more about yourself to a stranger. Gabriel and I were also not going to see each other again soon, so it wouldn't matter that he knew so much.

I told him about going to school in Alaska. I told him about being best friends with Edward. I told him about Tanya. I told him about Alice and her shopping obsession. And I told him about being adopted.

In turn, Gabriel told me all about himself. He was the youngest of three siblings. His brother was already married. His sister was next.

Gabriel was an artist-he drew everything. He loved drawing landscapes, though, so I made a joke about Monet.

He was fifteen, and he had lived in Paris all his life. He had never been out of Paris. And while he loved the city, and would never dream of living anywhere else, he would love to see the world. He wanted to travel and draw everything he saw. He said that the world must be an interesting place to see-so many people, so many different cultures.

Gabriel invited me to his sister's wedding-something that Alice wouldn't let me pass up. She had dragged me out again the moment I stepped into my suite, just to get me my dress. Needless to say, we had spent our entire afternoon going from one boutique to another looking for the perfect dress. I thought I was going to burst. And my feet were so sore by the end of the day! I felt like an old woman.

Alice had stepped into a store, swept her gaze through the store when she was standing just at the door, yelled out "Nope!" and hopped right back out. This went on for several stores, before she pulled me into Chanel. We didn't find anything in there but according to Alice, there had been some possibilities. Damn psychic.

We finally found my dress-twenty minutes before the store closed.

Of course, when we had gotten back to the hotel, she had also rang up room service and ordered just about everything on the menu in an attempt at 'girl bonding time'. She had wanted to know everything about Gabriel. I had snorted with laughter and said, "Like you hadn't already seen everything, Alice!"

Gabriel stayed at the hotel for the next four days. His sister's wedding was on that last day. It was held in the hotel itself. The ceremony was held in the garden, and the reception held inside. I wore a blue strapless dress that Alice had picked out.

Since it was in the hotel, no one-and by that I meant Edward-could object to it.

The next few days passed by quickly. Too quickly for my liking. I spent almost every minute with Gabriel. After the wedding, he had moved back to his own house in the city limits, but he came to get me every day.

He had been nothing but pleasant to Edward, but Edward didn't seem to like him. He might be bipolar.

Gabriel even showed me some of his sketches. They were amazing! I never knew he could draw like that.

I liked Gabriel. A lot. I knew it was a futile thing considering we would be going home soon. Today, in fact. In just a few hours, I'd be on my flight back to Denali.

Denali. I groaned internally. Where Tanya lived.

Tanya or Gabriel?

It was really a no-brainer.

I heard a knock at my door and turned around to see Alice, smiling at me. She was less exuberant than her usual self. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she must have known what I wanted to ask. "I'm sorry you have to say goodbye to Gabriel today," she said softly, coming up to me to give me a hug.

I tried shrugging, but her arms were too heavy and felt like iron. "It's alright," I said. But even I wasn't convinced with my lie.

We stayed like that for a little while, before Alice stepped back. "Is everything packed?" she asked, sweeping her gaze around the room. I nodded my head, scowling a little. Instead of the five suitcases that I had with me when we left, I now had eleven.

All thanks to Alice, the shopping maniac.

"Alice, I have eleven suitcases," I groaned, dropping my head and shaking it in disbelief.

Alice nodded her head, and started bouncing again. "Yes. I have eighteen. What's your point?" My head shot up and I stared at her. Eighteen? I couldn't even speak. Alice was truly insane.

She called out for Jasper to bring out the suitcases into the living room. The bell boy would get it and put it out front. I sighed as I stared at the luggage. Some things would never change, I suppose.

I headed out the door to get back to a world where Tanya came around every day just to annoy me and Edward ignored me for God only knows what reason.

When I got to the lobby, Carlisle and Esme were already there. Rosalie was sitting on Emmett's lap. I smirked. Alright. Some things really never changed. Alice and Jasper walked over to Carlisle. Edward was sitting alone, listening to his iPod. I was about to sit next to Jasper when I heard my name being called out.

I turned around and blushed. There was Gabriel, coming in through the front doors of the hotel.

"Hey, Gabriel," I greeted him, blushing harder when I realized that the entire family could hear me.

Gabriel smiled as he came closer. "I wanted to say goodbye, Bella," he said sadly. I knew how he felt. If I could, I would stay longer with him.

He had shown me almost all of Paris. He'd taken me to the Eiffel tower-somewhere Edward insisted the rest of the family went along too-and to the Luxembourg Gardens and to the Seine River. He'd taken me to museums and parks. I'd had the best time in Paris because of him. He'd saved me from Edward's ignorance and Alice's shopping sprees.

I had never had this much fun in my entire life before, and it was all because of a human boy. It felt so strange but so wonderful at the same time.

"I wish you could stay," he said.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I wish I could, too," I whispered.

Gabriel handed me something and I stared at the brown folder curiously. My eyes widened as I realized that it was his art folder. "Your art, Gabriel?" I asked, my surprised gaze searching his eyes.

He laughed, and nodded his head. "You're very special, Bella," he smiled softly. "I'd like you to have this."

I shook my head. "No, Gabriel. That-that's yours…I can't take that," I protested. He had some of his best works in there. I couldn't just snatch that away.

Gabriel took my hands and pressed the folder into them. "I drew Paris," he said. "I can draw it again. But I drew you, too," he said, the mischievous grin he always wore lighting up his face.

My eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"Look inside."

I opened the flap of the folder and my gaze landed on the first drawing. It was of me, by the Seine River. He'd told me he was drawing he surrounding, but it was really just me. He had drawn me. Of all the things he chose to see. He chose me.

Gabriel reached out and turned the drawing to the side. I gasped as I realized it was the drawing of us we had gotten from the street artist a few days ago. "I wanted you to have it," he said, shrugging. "I have pictures of you, but you don't have any of me."

I smiled, closing the folder carefully so none of the drawings would fall out. I reached forward and pulled Gabriel into a hug.

When I pulled back, Gabriel leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I instantly felt myself blushing.

"Bella!" I turned to find the rest of the family staring at me. Carlisle smiled. "We have to go." I nodded my head, unable to help feeling the sadness in my heart again.

I turned back to Gabriel. "Je dois y aller," I said sadly.

He lifted a finger and brushed my cheek gently. "I'll miss you. Au revoir."

"Au revoir."

I watched Gabriel leave the hotel first, then followed my family into the rental cars.

I refused to sit with Edward-he had ignored me for five entire weeks. He had shown no sign of apologizing to me, or wanting to return to the way we were. I wouldn't spend my last hours in Paris, even if I'd be cooped up in the airport, being miserable.

Gabriel had taught me to be happy always and that was what I was going to do.

Finally, it was time to board the plane. I sat next to Emmett again-but this time I insisted instead of Edward.

I watched Paris disappear before my very eyes as I looked out the window, and sighed. It was time to go back to Denali.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Hey, guys. So I posted a poll on my profile. It's on Bella Hale-I wanted to know when you think Bella and the Cullens should move to Forks. The poll is open from now, Monday, December 8__th__, to Saturday December 13__th__. I thought it would be easier to have a poll so the reviews aren't flooded with responses but instead of reviews of the chapters. LOL. Please go to my profile page if you can and vote. Thank you so much._

_P.S. Not to worry-the next chapter would lead to a chain of events that reunite ExB and lead Edward to finally admitting to himself that he and Bella are meant to be. I'm sorry there isn't a lot of them in here, but I felt that it was needed. Bella's starting to get attracted to boys, and Edward needed to avoid her._

_To M.M., thank you very much. Yes, there will be more Bella/Jasper moments because I think he's like the big brother she could come to for anything. Emmett's the big brother that's all protective but funny. A comic relief. (P.S. Don't tell S.M….LOL)_

_To xosummerxo, a boy in Paris interested in Bella? I used your idea a little-nothing will come out of it, obviously, since they've returned to Alaska by the end. But I felt the need to put it in there. LOL. I hope you don't mind._

_To sylviaxoxxcullen, I guess the French boy thing was your idea as well. Again I hope you don't mind. And you had a dream about this story? I'm somewhere between touched and in hysterics. But in a good way. I'm glad you're a reader._

_To asdfghjkl:', yes, I did kidnap SM. She's right next to me and she says hi. LOL. JK. Don't call the SWAT team on me._

_Remember to go to my profile and vote. And, also, review. Thank you so much for reading!_

_Juliet._


	23. Sixteen Months Later aka Visitors

_**A/N:**__ I'm glad you liked Gabriel. I wasn't sure how the last chapter would fare. I was worried people wouldn't like it because it didn't have ExB all that much. But I'm glad. Here's the next one. I hope you enjoy. And thank you to those who have voted. I greatly appreciate it._

_P.S. Bella's 15 in this chapter. 68% of you wanted it. I'm sorry I had to close the poll so early, but I had a LOT of votes, and I thought it was appropriate to move to when Bella's 15 years. This chapter and the next 3 will be the last in Denali. After that will be when Bella's 16 and in Forks. I will post another poll about the events in Forks, please check and vote. Thank you! I hope you enjoy._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella, Jasper, Emmett_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

Sixteen months has passed since we'd come back from Paris.

Sixteen months has passed since I'd talked to Bella.

We hadn't even stayed within the same proximity for so long. I'd conveniently 'forgotten' about our piano lessons. She'd never even asked for them. We hadn't done anything together, like watching movies or going ice-skating. I used to teach her because she was so clumsy on her own. We were in Alaska after all. Ice skating seemed like a good enough past time.

Now we hardly spoke to each other. We didn't acknowledge each other even when we stayed in the same room.

I did it for her own good. She and I aren't meant to be. She's meant to be with someone just like her. Someone who was willing to do anything for her. Someone who could keep her soul intact.

But Bella ignored me, too. Mostly, it was because she was angry. Jasper told me this, subconsciously. I delved into his mind when he wasn't so guarded, and I read what he thought of Bella's reaction to me.

She was angry at me for abandoning her when I'd told her so plainly that I would always be her best friend.

She was angry at me for breaking my promises of always being there for her.

She was angry that I was acting so cold all of a sudden without even telling her why.

The last time I had spent more than five minutes in the same room with her was in September last year, during her birthday. Alice had thrown her a party-an intimate setting, surprisingly.

She had invited Bella's close friends, and us obviously. She even asked Kate and Carmen to come. Eleazar was away on a trip to China. Tanya invited herself-Rosalie almost ripped her head off her shoulders the moment she entered through the door. Esme had had to remind her of the humans in the room.

Halfway through the party and Alice's fiftieth comment on how it was all so great and intimate and wonderful to have everyone Bella loves around, I realized her motive. She had wanted me to reconcile with Bella, to put behind my efforts of trying to keep her safe and just continue being with her like nothing happened.

The moment the humans were out the door, I had shot out of the house like a bullet to go hunting. Thankfully, no one-and by that I meant Tanya-had followed me. I had an inkling Rosalie had something to do with that.

I made it seem as if I didn't attend Bella's party this year. I told the others I would be in Canada, hunting. They didn't even ask me to stay. Bella never asked me to stay. I placed my present with the rest of theirs, but she never opened it. I watched through the window.

The thing was, I _missed _Bella. How could I not? The last eight years of my life had revolved around her. I'd spent almost every waking moment with her. And that was saying a lot since I couldn't sleep.

I missed catching her when she fell.

I missed teaching her how to play the piano because she had me in hysterics every time she messes up the notes-it was the only time I wasn't so serious when I played the piano and I loved it.

I missed seeing her reactions to Emmett's jokes because more often than not, they were incredibly inappropriate.

I missed watching her 'kitten temper', as us Cullen boys called it, whenever she was mad about something. We called it that because she was hardly as scary as Rosalie or Alice or even Esme when she was angry, but it was still there. She threw temper tantrums, too.

I missed watching her eat, watching her blush, watching her with the family because she would look so happy.

The only thing I still did was watch her sleep.

It was the only thing I still managed to do with her. I had tried to stay away from her completely. I had even contemplated going to live somewhere in Scotland, maybe. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't even bring myself to set it in action. So I ended up just avoiding her.

But I couldn't give up listening to Bella sleep talk, or watch her sleep so peacefully. It had just become my routine.

The first few nights we were back in Denali, she dreamt of Gabriel.

She would whisper his name, talk about his art, even mention their kiss. It was an innocent kiss. A chaste one on the cheek, no less.

But it still made me angry to think of it, to have her think of it.

She was too young! How could the others support this? Alice actually made plans to send Bella to a boarding school in Paris until Rosalie put a stop to it. She was just so _excited _for Bella.

How ludicrous! Bella was fourteen years old. She was much too _young _to be involved with boys.

And Carlisle and Esme-her _parents_! They were happy for her. They smiled when she talked of Gabriel in Paris. They encouraged her to attend his sister's wedding with him as her date. They told her it was fine to go out with Gabriel to explore Paris. How could they? We didn't know Gabriel, we didn't understood the inner workings of his mind.

Of course, Alice had asked me what I heard in his mind. And I had to grudgingly admit that I heard nothing dangerous. All he thought about was how beautiful Bella was, and how amazing it was to have her with him. He thought of how it would be upsetting when Bella left for America. He wondered if they would be able to keep in contact.

Alice had smiled smugly at me and told me that it was safe for Bella to be around Gabriel. After all, wouldn't she see it if something horrible were to happen?

But I still couldn't help the anger. And another emotion I couldn't quite identify. It surged through me every time the name 'Gabriel' came up. It burned me alive every time I heard her murmur his name in her sleep.

And then, like a tourniquet I didn't deserve, she stopped talking of him. Her dreams of Alice's horrifying shopping sprees and of her friends and tests returned.

But it was still there. The memory of Gabriel's kiss. It was etched into my mind, along with his thoughts. He had wanted to give her a real kiss. He had wanted a last memory of her. But our entire family had been watching. He hadn't wanted to kiss her in front of her parents and her siblings. He hadn't wanted to embarrass her.

He had wanted her.

And suddenly, the unidentified emotion revealed itself to me so clearly.

Jealousy. I was jealous.

I had been ever since Gabriel had been introduced. Even before I knew his name, I had been jealous of him.

The boy who had managed to somehow stumble into her life and make her forget about me.

During her days with him, she was hardly around the family. I started joining them in their activities, just to see if Bella would be around. We went all around Paris-but Bella was hardly there. Whenever I looked into their minds to see where she was, that one name popped up.

Gabriel.

I had felt like he had taken her away from me. Which was ridiculous since I was the one who had been ignoring her.

Was I jealous because I was accepting the fact that Bella and I were going to be together, according to Alice's vision?

Was I jealous that someone had managed to make her forget about me, even for a few days?

Was I jealous because I wanted Alice's visions to come true?

Or was it something else entirely?

A sudden thought occurred to me. If I'd been jealous, then Jasper would have felt it. I might have been confused as to what it was, but Jasper knew. He was the empath after all. I groaned and let my head fall into my hands.

What a disaster. I don't even know how to act anymore. This mess with Bella has gone out of control. Maybe I'd gotten too attached to her.

How on earth was I going to keep doing this for eternity?

Sixteen months, and I was ready to give it all up. I was ready to just beg her for forgiveness and ask her to forget anything ever happen. I was ready to ask her to give me another chance at being her best friend.

"YES!" I heard Alice's triumphant yell.

But then again, I still had a chance here. I could still help Bella avoid the fate of becoming a monster like I was. I was researching the loopholes in Aro's deal. I couldn't find one so far, but I wasn't ready to give it up. I wanted to make sure Bella had a perfectly happy, normal life.

Look at her time with Gabriel. As much as I hated him, Bella thought him pleasant. She had wanted to be his friend, maybe even more. She had wanted to stay with him, and have a pleasant time with him.

What if there were other boys like Gabriel out there? What if there was a boy like him who would turn out to be the man Bella could love and marry and be happily human with?

I couldn't take that away from her. I couldn't let her sacrifice herself for me and my family. It was my mistake, my weakness, that had gotten her a limit on her human life. It was my weakness that would take her away from the human world.

Would I let myself succumb to the same weakness that would take away her last chance at happiness?

No, she deserved it.

Bella deserved a normal life, and a normal man, and a normal happiness. I wouldn't be the one taking it away from her. In fact, I would make sure no one and nothing took that away from her.

"NO!" Alice's yell reverberated throughout the house.

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, you would think a pixie like her wouldn't have such a loud voice.

I sighed as I looked down at my sleeping angel. She had always been my angel, ever since the very first day I saw her. I had wanted her safe even though she had been coated with blood. It didn't bother me, didn't deter me from getting her to safety.

She had been my best friend all these years. I didn't know what would happen in the future, but I was going to try my hardest to make sure that she would have the most wonderful life possible.

I stood up, ready to continue my research on Aro's deal.

But Bella shifted in her bed, her fists curling around something invisible on the bed as if she was grabbing onto something. Her lip quivered as if she was about to cry. Her mouth turned into a frown. Her eyebrows drew together.

I frowned. Was she having a nightmare? Should I call Rosalie in here to wake her from it?

Before I could make a decision, though, Bella opened her mouth and whimpered. "Edward," she whispered.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. She was dreaming of me? Well, she had done it before-but it was always accompanied by the strangest words like dancing tacos and Pocahontas.

But this felt different somehow. I couldn't quite put a finger to it.

"Don't go."

My heart broke and healed at the same time, if that was possible. It healed because she wanted me to stay, even if it was only in her dreams. It shattered because I couldn't stay and I haven't stayed. Not for a long time.

I turned to go, aware that I would be crying if it were possible.

"Don't go," she pleaded again.

My hand froze on the doorknob. She might simply be dreaming, but it was her desire that I stayed. And I wanted to, didn't I? To watch over her? Protect her? Be with her?

So I backed away from the door and went back to her. I brushed my lips against her forehead, breathing in the scent of her. Immediately, her frown disappeared and the creases on her forehead smoothed out. Her labored breathing lightened and soon she was off to a peaceful slumber.

Amazed by the effect I had on her even while she was so deeply asleep, I went to sit in the rocking chair she had beside her window and watched her for the rest of the night.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

Esme and I were halfway through our plans when Bella came home from school.

It was a sunny day today, so none of us went out of the house. Of course, the only people still in high school in this family were Bella, Edward and Alice. She normally refused to accept a ride from Alice-Edward never offered. She would say something about keeping Danielle company on the way back home.

_I _just think it reminded her a little too much of Edward.

Idiotic vampire.

She had looked curiously at the blueprints in front of us and gazed warily from Esme to me. I grinned. She had every reason to be wary, of course. Blueprints usually meant we're either moving, or renovating.

In this case, it's the latter.

Emmett and I had been mud wrestling the other day when an idea had struck us. We weren't going to be in Denali much longer, but why not make the most of it? Besides, who knew when we would come back, right? It could be not for another hundred years, it could be within the next decade. Though I highly doubt Edward nor Bella would appreciate it that much.

We had decided to build a pool for the house. With our vampire speed, it could be done in less than a day. It would be fun.

And Bella still hasn't learnt how to swim properly yet. All she knew was how to get in the water and float. I think it's time she learned.

You know, the best ideas come to you when you're mud wrestling.

"What's going on?" she asked curiously, albeit cautiously. I could practically taste the dread rolling off of her.

"We're putting in a pool for the house," I said proudly. It _had _been partly my idea, after all.

"In Alaska!?" Bella asked, aghast. Her brown eyes widened considerably. I could just picture her saying 'That's crazy!'.

I laughed with Esme. I should have specified. "_Indoor _pool, Bella. We've got heaters and everything. No worries, human," I teased.

Esme smacked me on the arm and Bella scowled at me, but I saw the little quirk of her lips as if she was fighting her smile. Her emotions gave away nothing but humor-that is, until a certain someone walked in the door.

"Hello, Cullens!" said the voice of a very pesky, very annoying vampire.

Edward was the only one to answer her. "Hi, Tanya. What are you doing here?" His voice wasn't annoyed or irked. It was pleasant.

And you didn't need to be a vampire to realize that.

But you _did _need to be an empath to feel what he felt.

He was using Tanya, trying to tweak the situation so that Bella would think Edward was choosing Tanya over her. Her fears of losing her best friend was coming to life.

I felt Bella's anger and sadness hitting me hard. I almost cried out in pain. I had felt the same thing with Edward. He missed her terribly. He hated the distance he had placed between them. He wanted more than anything to be close to Bella again. After all, they _were _best friends.

And when Gabriel had showed up in her life, Edward had felt nothing but jealousy and resentment. He himself was too confused as to the reason. I think he partially blocked out Alice's vision, as if he was mentally chanting 'It's-not-possible' over and over again.

But it was there.

The jealousy.

The desire to be where Alice's vision had led. He saw it. Saw the future and he had wanted it. He still did.

No wonder it was so hard for him. I didn't really blame him for wanting to keep his distance from Bella. I knew it must be hard to do so. And I knew it was his instincts that drove him to protect her.

And I knew that while he was a little overwhelmed by the idea of falling in love with his best friend, with Bella, the most prominent reason why he was rejecting the idea so hard was because he hated the fact that Bella would be a vampire.

He had wanted to save her from this life. In his mind, being a vampire would be damning her. He didn't want to do that. She might have mad a deal with Aro, but he was determined to go against the odds and find a loophole.

If he were to fall in love with her, and she were to reciprocate like in Alice's visions, then eternity would be a part of Bella. She would want it desperately. And he would want it back. His plans of finding a loophole for Bella would go to waste, and she would still be damned in the end.

But he had to accept the reality that there was no escaping it. There was no escaping Bella being a vampire. She was going to be one of us, and soon.

Rosalie had somewhat accepted it.

Now it was Edward's turn.

Before Esme and I could say anything to her, anything comforting, Tanya pranced into the room. She smiled widely at Esme, then reached forward to hug Bella. She considerably stiffened. Either Tanya didn't notice it, or she chose to ignore it.

I could feel the hostility in Bella, just waiting for a chance to come out and rear its ugly head. But I couldn't let that happen. Bella would most likely be embarrassed by it later on, or she'd just start crying in the middle of her rant. She has what she called 'angry tears'. Every time she's angry, she would start to cry. It frustrated her to no end.

"_Bella_!" Tanya squealed. "We have to go shopping! Or…Or maybe we could go to the movies? Oh, that sounds wonderful, don't you think? Let me go find Edward and tell him…"

And with that, she was out the kitchen door again. I knew the only reason she was so intent on bonding with Bella was because she thought Edward and Bella were still as close as ever. And Bella was important to the family.

I knew Edward has tried many times to discourage Tanya from speaking to Bella or making her uncomfortable. He had the insane notion that everything would be fine if Bella didn't have to endure Tanya. He thought that she wouldn't be so upset if she were left alone.

I don't know how he managed to get medical degrees.

Tanya really wasn't making any progress with Edward. I guess she thought if Bella approved, Edward would make his move. Boy, was she wrong.

"Excuse me," Bella muttered, and I knew from the look on her face that she was trying to stop herself from crying.

Esme exchanged a worried glance with me. "Bella," she called, but Bella never looked back. In fact, she walked faster towards the direction of the stairs leading down to the basement.

I glanced warily in the direction of the living room, where Edward was trying to shake off Tanya now that he knew Bella was out of earshot.

Like I said. Idiotic vampire.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

I can't believe we still have to go to school. I sighed as I started my game. I'd just gotten back, but I had a night class tonight. Maybe I should skip it…

It was my hundredth time in college. I wasn't going to finish it this time-it was just to pass the time before we moved on to another country. Carlisle had mentioned maybe returning to Forks for Bella's last human years.

I knew Rose was particularly touchy about the subject. She was torn between loving the idea of Bella being with us forever, and hating that Bella would never have the things Rose wanted her to have. A child, a husband, a family.

Rosalie had missed out on all those things, and she had somewhat gotten a second chance when Bella came into our lives, but it still wasn't the same. As much as she loved Bella fiercely, it wasn't the same as getting pregnant and giving birth to your own child. She had wanted Bella to have that.

But then Aro showed up and destroyed it all.

Rosalie never once blamed Bella for it. All Bella had done was protect her and the rest of the family. We all owed it to her. She had made the ultimate sacrifice-her life, her humanity-just so Aro wouldn't kill us and display our heads on sticks on his mantelpiece.

But it still sucked that Bella wouldn't have it all.

All things considered, though, I think it turned out pretty well. Sure, it would've been better if we hadn't gotten our butts whipped by the Volturi, but Bella had wanted to be a vampire. She had pestered Edward about it for God knows how long before that deal. She hadn't wanted to be left by herself and never seeing us again.

I have to admit-that wouldn't have transpired well. Edward and Rose would've gone looking for her anyway. And the rest of us would've missed her too much to act maturely about it.

So, yeah, Bella deserved a happy life, but who said she wasn't going to be happy with us? I think she would be very happy spending eternity with us-that is, if Edward ever stopped being an idiot and just accept the fact that he and Bella and meant to be mates.

And she could really make use of her time as a human left, you know? Like that guy she met in Paris. Gabriel.

At first I thought they were just going to be friends. Then Alice started going all crazy, and Jasper told us that Gabriel had romantic feelings about Bella.

That really blew me. Bella, the girl who played Men In Black with us, the girl who forced us into ridiculous outfits and couldn't stop watching Peter Pan. _This _girl was being attracted to a boy.

I just couldn't wrap my head around it, you know? My little sister all grown up.

Damn, it was so weird thinking of it like that. Alice pointed out that soon she would have boyfriends and go to parties and all.

Edward left the room after that.

He's just too stupid to realize that he's going to fall in love with her, if he hasn't already. What's so bad about that? Sure, it's a little strange when you remember a six year old Bella hiding behind Edward's legs because she was shy. But they had been strongly connected even then. I think it's natural.

And she was going to be one of us soon. She's going to be around for eternity. She was going to be frozen at seventeen. Just like Edward.

So who better to be her mate than Edward?

I heard the basement door open and slam shut a moment later. We had sound proofed the door so that we-meaning I-would not be disturbed during our R&R time.

I caught a whiff of Bella's freesia scent and smiled even though I didn't look away from the plasma screen. "Hey, Bells," I greeted her.

She grumbled wordlessly and plopped down next to me on the couch. I caught something else mixed in with her usual scent, and tried to distinguish it. When I did identify it, I burst into raucous laughter. So that's what she's doing here-hiding.

"Hiding from Tanya, huh?" I chuckled, shaking my head as my thumbs worked the controller in my hands furiously.

Bella gave me a surprised glance. "How did you know?" she asked.

Amazing that after all these years, she still had to ask. "I can smell her on you," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Bella groaned and fell back on the sofa. She swung her legs up and rested it on my lap. "Great. Now I'm going to have to shower," she complained. That just set me off into another fit of laughter. "She just _had _to hug me."

I shot her a look. She had closed her eyes and was resting her head. If I couldn't hear her heartbeat and her uneven breaths, I would have said she'd fallen asleep. "You okay?" I asked softly.

I knew she hated it whenever Tanya came around-we all did. She could be annoying when she wanted to be. And more often than not, she was annoying even when she didn't want to be.

But now it was different. She didn't have her best friend Edward around to help her get through it. She didn't have Edward to turn to when she has problems, or when she's upset or when she needed a shoulder to lean on. She didn't have him to be there for her.

And that just made it harder.

Bella cracked her eyes open and with a start I realized that they were rimmed red. No tears fell from behind her eyes, though. "Don't, okay?" she said bitterly, her voice cracking. "You've always been the funny guy, Em. You start being all sensitive and it's just…" She shuddered, like she couldn't finish the sentence.

I paused my game and placed the controller on the table in front of me. Then I took her at vampire speed, sitting her upright and holding her to my side. "But it's okay to be upset, angel," I whispered, kissing her hair. "It's okay to let it all out."

So she did. She sat there in my arms for fifteen minutes, crying. She sobbed so hard I thought my world had cracked open.

I could literally kill Edward for doing this to her.

Rosalie thought of her as her daughter, and I guess that made her mine, too. We've never acknowledged that part of our relationship-I was more of a brother to her than anything. But I liked it. I liked my role in her life. I protected her from the bad guys. I kept her safe. But I would also be there to make jokes and get her laughing.

Bella had always been the quiet martyr. She once sprained her ankle and tried to hide it-which didn't really work since Alice saw it happen and Jasper felt her pain. But she didn't want her feelings broadcast to the world. If she was in pain, she'd rather deal with it on her own. She was strong-stronger than I'd ever been. And that was saying something.

So yeah, these past few weeks, she'd hidden her pain from us. And if Jasper felt it, he never let it show. He never told us anything, because he knew as well as I did that Bella hated it when others pitied her or acted sympathetic towards her.

We still knew. Edward and Bella had been inseparable the past eight years. They did everything together, depended on each other, loved each other. It might not have been the love Alice predicted them having, but it was one of the strongest connections I'd ever seen.

To lose someone like that must have been hard. I didn't know what it felt like and I could only hope to God that I never will, as selfish as that sounded.

Finally, she stopped crying. But her pain was still there. So my heart was still broken. "Sorry," she sniffed, attempting to get away from me.

But I never let her. I held her closer until she met my gaze. "It'll be okay," I assured her. "I promise. Edward-" she flinched at the mention of his name. "-he's just being stupid. He'll come around, Bella. I promise you that."

I _could _promise her that without breaking it. Alice said that the visions haven't disappeared. Edward and Bella were still going to be together when she's seventeen. He's just being stubborn right now.

"Why?" Bella asked, her voice breaking yet again. I didn't know what she was asking, but she elaborated before I could ask. "Why is he doing this? What did I do wrong?"

I shook my head, cutting her off. "You never did anything wrong, Bella. You know Edward… He'll come around, and the two of you will be okay. Even better than okay. You just have to be patient," I smiled.

Bella nodded her head, then laughed. "You're giving me advice on being patient, Emmett? Who would've thought?"

I chuckled along with her and tickled her sides until she was crying out of joy. Then inspiration struck me so hard it was like walking into a brick wall-and leaving a dent in it, of course. But still!

I turned to Bella and grinned at her deviously. Bella eyes me suspiciously. "Bella," I said slowly. "How would you like a little payback?"

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Emmett had that mischievous glint in his eyes-the one that always got me into trouble. The last time he got that glint and smiled that smile was last month when he thought it would be fun to mess up one of Alice's new outfits. I didn't dare go near that one. But I was known for being involved in some of his nefarious plots.

"Bella," he had said. "How would you like a little payback?"

Come now, what girl could say no to something as tempting as that?

So we had discussed the plot-Emmett was almost as annoyed with Tanya as I was. We wanted to get her back.

So Emmett had snuck into the garage and "borrowed" Rosalie's tool box. I wasn't so sure that was a good idea. Rosalie was as protective of her tools and her cars as much as Alice was protective of her clothes. I didn't want to incur Rosalie's wrath. But Emmett assured me it would be fine, so I went along with it. Even if we did get caught, I'd just pin the blame on Emmett for this one. If it involved Rosalie being angry, I didn't want to get in the middle.

An hour later, we had created a contraption made especially for Tanya. Emmett knew she would come into the kitchen at exactly four twenty in the afternoon-she did it every afternoon. It was when she would try to get Esme to like her when Esme cooked me dinner. And if I was in the kitchen, she'd try to get me to like her, too. It was like a sick rerun of a really bad seventies' sitcom.

Emmett sat at the kitchen table, pretending to read his comic book-why he still read it was beyond me-while I helped Esme cook my dinner. She had been obsessed with Jamie Oliver recently, so everything she cooked came out from his cookbooks and his TV shows. I found this too amusing to be annoyed by it.

As predicted, Tanya came into the kitchen. Her fake, bright smile was plastered on her face as usual. Esme and I exchanged a look and scoffed silently.

The only reason she hadn't been kicked out of here yet was because she was the leader of the Denali coven. Esme and Carlisle didn't want to offend the clan just because their leader couldn't see that she wasn't welcomed here.

That, and also because Edward liked her.

That thought alone send ripples of pain shooting through me.

"Es-" Tanya's words were cut off as she slipped on the grease oil on the floor-we had kept Esme from that area the whole time. She ended up crashing into the opposite wall, with chunks of wood and plaster in her hands when she had tried to grab onto something to stop sliding forward. Of course, she destroyed everything in her path. From the kitchen table to the wall that now had a Tanya-shaped hole in it.

Emmett and I snickered while Esme shot us both disapproving looks. But she didn't rush forward to help Tanya. She was a vampire-something like this wouldn't deter her at all.

When Tanya managed to extract herself from the wall, she glared around the room before her gaze landed on Emmett and I. "Did you do this?" she snarled.

Emmett was quick to jump to our defense, even though we were guilty. "Hey, it's not our fault you didn't see where you were going," he rolled his eyes nonchalantly.

Tanya turned around to look at Esme, who put on her best 'chiding mother' look. "Now, now. I'm sure whomever did this was sorry. But you have to understand, Tanya, the children in this family are fond of pranks. They do this to each other all the time," she explained, shrugging a little.

But Tanya wasn't pleased with this answer. She swiveled back to glare at Emmett and I and said, "Wait 'til Edward hears about this!" she snapped. Promptly, she stormed out of the kitchen, yelling his name.

I didn't particularly want to see her complaining to Edward, or seeing him comfort her. In fact, I'd rather just go into the basement where I couldn't hear anything at all. Pathetic, right? That I would want to hide in the basement? I sounded like a lunatic.

Esme, however, were giving us both a death glare. "Kids!" she chided. "How could you do that? She's the leader of the Denali coven!"

She sounded appalled, but I saw the hint of a smile on her lips.

Apparently, Emmett did, too, because he put on his puppy dog look. "Mom!" I hid a smirk. He only called her 'mom' when he wanted to get something his way. I saw Esme's scowl lessened. "It was only for fun…We do it all the time. How should we know she'd take it so badly?"

Esme sighed heavily, shaking her head. One hand went up to her eyes. "I'll have to talk to your dad about controlling you kids," she muttered. Tanya's screams were still audible. "Let's go to the living room. We have some damage control to do."

I opened my mouth to protest but Esme shook her head. "No, Bella. I know you're a part of this as much as Emmett. Come on, let's go."

I pouted as I followed Esme and Emmett out into the living room. What I saw shocked me.

Rosalie was sitting on the recliner, flipping through a magazine. She didn't look as if she cared at all. She probably didn't. The only other person asides from me who hated Tanya this much was her.

Rosalie was used to being the most beautiful one. The one who got all the attention. She didn't mind sharing with me because firstly, I'm her daughter, and secondly, the attention I get is different than the one she usually gets.

But Tanya tended to try and steal Rosalie's spotlight. That was never a good thing in Rose's book. To put it simply, Rose hated Tanya. Despised her with every bone in her body.

Alice was curled up next to Jasper on the loveseat, though I don't think either of them were paying attention to Tanya, either. Alice was kissing up Jasper's neck and he looked just as lost as she was.

I wrinkled my nose in their direction. Even after all these years, I'd never get used to seeing _that_.

Jasper must have sensed my disgust and turned to look at me. He winked, grinning like a fool. I rolled my eyes at him.

Tanya was in the middle of the room, covered in plaster, eyes bulging out. She was also screaming at Edward, arms flailing as she over exaggerated what happened. As usual.

Thank God Carlisle wasn't home to see this. He was the most compassionate person I'd ever met. But whenever we crossed the line, he tended to revert to 'strict father' mode.

As if reading my mind, Esme turned to give me a glare. "Don't you think your father won't hear about this, young lady!" she warned.

I gulped, and shot Emmett a scared look. But he only laughed. He had been in trouble one too many times to actually be afraid of Esme's warning.

This riled her up, and she turned to give him a glare. "And I'll make _you _eat human food for a whole week, Emmett McCarty Cullen!"

_Now _he looked scared.

I bit back my laughter as Esme, Emmett and I approached Edward and…Her. It wasn't all that hard to start scowling again.

As I was saying. What surprised me was Edward trying to convince Tanya that Emmett and I meant no harm. He was defending _me_. Well, he was defending Emmett and I both, but it was still there.

After all this time, he was _defending _me?

I didn't know if I should throw a vase at his head, break down and cry or hug him as hard as I humanly could.

I decided to just keep still and let the 'adults' talk.

"It was horrible, Eddie!" Tanya was complaining, pouting her lips in what I supposed was meant to be sexy. It just looked like she ate a sour lemon to me.

I choked back another fit of giggles at her nickname for him. Edward _hated _being called Eddie.

I hated it, too. It didn't suit him. He wasn't plain, ordinary, commonplace _Eddie_. He was gentlemanly, old-fashioned, straight out of the nineteenth century _Edward_.

"Tanya, you have to understand…" He said, looking pained. It was probably because she called him 'Eddie'. "They do this all the time. Emmett and Bella have been the pranksters of this family since she came into our lives…"

"It didn't help that he gave her a journal full of pranks," Esme added under her breath, but we all heard it, even human me.

Emmett and I exchanged grins. That journal has come to be one of my prized possessions. It was like a war and we were the winning team. Pulling pranks on the family was almost as fun as truth and dare Cullen style!

Esme had lost all of her senses and was now clasping Tanya's plaster covered hands in her own, clean, ones. "Tanya, I apologize for my children's behavior," she said, sounding so genuine that I almost believed her.

But I knew my mother. I knew when she was pretending and when she was being sincere. Right now was more of the former.

There was still disappointment in her voice, though.

I knew she wanted to honor the Denali clan because they had been nothing but kind to us. Tanya could be on the more annoying note now and again, but the others were good friends. By Esme wanting to honor their friendship, she expected us to do the same as well.

And I had let her down. My own mother and I'd disappointed her.

I felt the guilt and shame washing over me, and I looked down at my feet, shuffling them embarrassedly. Immediately, a wave of calmness, happiness and assurance came over me, but I pushed them back. Jasper wanting to make me feel better only made me feel guiltier.

I didn't deserve it. What was I thinking going along with this plan? I knew Emmett was only trying to cheer me up and I just agreed to it. I should've thought before I acted. Pulling pranks on the family was one thing, but on Tanya?

"Esme-"

"Stop!" Alice shrieked. Every pair of eyes turned to look at her, confused. After a moment, though, Alice gasped and Edward growled low in his throat.

I looked back and forth between them, bewildered. Emmett must have sensed it because he looked down at me knowingly. "Yeah, I feel the same way when they have one of their private conversations," he said.

"We have visitors," Alice said as she snapped out of her trance-like state that usually meant she was having a vision.

I shuddered involuntarily. The last time we had 'visitors', the Volturi showed up. And before that it was Matt, Hailey and Connor.

I hadn't minded Connor's friendship. I even understood why he had tried to bite me. He was a vampire, with vampire instincts and desires. I just wished it hadn't happen so that he could still be around. I might not necessarily want him around me, but he was still a pretty good guy. Unless you counted the attack…

So what sort of evil fiends were visiting us this time? Judging from the horror on Alice's face and Edward's constant growling, I couldn't imagine that we would be the best of friends with whomever was coming.

"Who?" Esme's motherly voice rang with alarm and concern for her family. Underneath it all, I could hear the undertones of the fierceness she held within her. The lengths a mother would go to protect her children.

Alice turned away from our prying eyes, and locked gazes with Jasper. His eyes widened, as if he were the one reading her mind. His mouth hung open, his face so shocked it was almost comical if the situation wasn't so frightening.

"Maria."

And then the strangest, most unimaginable thing happened.

Edward hugged me.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I was practicing on the piano-the same song that had been stuck in my head for years. I still couldn't finish it. I didn't understand why, of course, but it had been running around in my mind for so long…It was driving me completely insane, if everything else hasn't already.

Speaking of insane, Tanya barged into the living room, screaming. She was livid! From her bulging eyes to her clenched jaw to her blazing eyes. She saw me, and stormed right over to me. I winced slightly, hopefully unnoticeably, and stood up, making my way towards her.

That was when I noticed her clothes. She was covered in plaster, from head to toe. Even her hair was covered in it. Alice was giggling as she took it in from the loveseat. _Even better than the vision I had…You'll remind me to thank Emmett and Bella, won't you, Edward?_

I ignored her, then did a double take. Emmett and _Bella_? _Bella _did this? I sighed inwardly. I really should have burned the silly prank journal Emmett had given her all those years ago. His influence has been nothing but trouble for her, and us. She had turned into quite a devious little devil.

It had started out simple enough. Nair in Jasper's shampoo-which Alice had prevented, of course, since vampires can't grow their hair back and Alice wouldn't want a bald husband for the rest of eternity. Messing with Rosalie's toolbox. Hiding the keys to my brand new Volvo-which I didn't appreciate, thank you very much.

Then it had gotten devious. Contraptions, elaborate plans, scaring six vampires…She became the little mistress of pranks and jokes.

Emmett couldn't have been more thrilled. The rest of us were slightly less enthusiastic.

For the record, though, if I didn't have Tanya yelling into my ear, I would have enjoyed this particular prank.

Tanya was starting to drive me crazy and I don't mean in a good way, either. I had to keep up pretenses in front of Bella, to drive her to think that I was getting closer to Tanya. I didn't actually want to use Tanya, so I refrained from forging a false relationship with her.

Besides, this would no doubt only hurt Bella. A lot. I didn't want that. I just wanted her safe.

So I distanced myself from her and made it look like her worst nightmare had come to life-she had lost her best friend to another. It saddened me, but it had to be done.

Tanya stopped right in front of me and glared. She gave me a look that said she would cry if she could. Only, it wasn't a genuine expression. She was just putting it on for show. "Eddie!" she screeched, whining for me to take action, I supposed.

I flinched. I hated that nickname.

What bothered me, though, was that she was making Bella into a bad person.

Sure, she had her childish moments, and she loved pulling pranks on people, but it was mostly to bond with her big brother Emmett. And when you're a part of a family that never dies, never sleeps, never need to do anything other than hunt…You get bored sometimes.

We have all gotten used to this, just as we have gotten used to Jasper sometimes manipulating our emotions for the fun of it when Alice was hunting without him. It could get annoying when you start dry sobbing when you're watching a sitcom or when you feel the sudden urge to yell at everyone for no apparent reason, but in the end, it's all in good fun.

I didn't understand why Tanya was making such a big deal over this. Maybe it was a female thing?

Esme came out of the kitchen, Emmett and Bella tagging along behind her. She begun apologizing for their behavior. I noticed that Bella looked increasingly guilty, as if she had committed the biggest crime. I fought the urge to laugh and to comfort her. It was only a joke. We all knew that. From Jasper's mind, I knew that he was sending her assuring waves, and that she was rejecting them because she felt she didn't deserve it.

I was about to just forget the fact that I wasn't supposed to speak to her and comfort her when Alice screamed.

"Stop!"

At first I thought she was yelling at Tanya, who had opened her mouth to complain to Esme now about how unfair the situation was.

But then I saw the vision she was having in her mind.

_A vampire, walking through the dense mist in the surrounding. She was flanked by three vampires on each side of her. They all looked crazed with thirst but there was no human around to feed on. Newborns._

_As she came closer, her face became more visible. Heart shaped. With long dark hair. Eyes the color of fresh blood. Her grin was more of a grimace though it did nothing to hide her beauty. Her wild eyes darted around until she found something._

_Suddenly the mist disappeared, only to be replaced by the interiors of the house. She looked straight at Jasper and smiled wickedly. "Jasper." Her voice was adoring, yet it dripped with venom. "Maria," he said stiffly, drawing Alice at his side closer to him. Maria's eyes flickered to her disapprovingly, but neither mate backed down. This made Maria laugh._

_Then she stopped. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. A wide smile flitted across her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. The crimson of her eyes had darkened. They found Bella. "Did you know I was coming, Jasper?" she asked, making her way closer to Bella. "Did you bring me a tasty little snack before we leave?"_

Alice's vision ended there. She stared at me, horrified. I, on the other hand, growled in my throat. Bella. She would be after Bella. I'd heard Jasper's stories on Maria, in his head and out loud. She wasn't a kind being. She was also persistent. If she wanted something, she would go to any lengths to get it.

Which was why, when Alice turned to Jasper with horror in her eyes, Jasper's eyes widened. He knew the fear that only Maria could strike in someone's heart.

And when Alice spoke, it only confirmed his suspicion. "Maria," she whispered, her voice wavering.

This was enough for me to abandon all my efforts at keeping Bella at a safe distance. I strode over to her and pulled her into my arms, hoping to God I never had to let go.

______________________________________________________________________________

_This is the start of the chain of events that happen that would draw ExB closer together again. It would be in four chapters including this one, but I promise not to have too much of those evil cliffhangers or leave you guys hanging. I'm just excited. After the next three chapters, we skip ahead to Bella and the Cullen kids' first day of Forks High._

_I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry chapter 22 took so long._

_P.S. Sorry Jasper's POV is so short. I'll make it up to you soon._

_To jayley, Alice is excited that Bella got her period because she doesn't remember getting it herself as a human and she's never been around humans who needed her when they got it. In fact, all the women in the family are excited-it's a first in the family after all._

_To TheSara, well I wanted Bella and Gabriel to kiss too-but the entire family was watching and I doubted Bella would have enjoyed having her first kiss with the entire family present. LOL. And p.s., Bella's going to have a boyfriend before Edward, remember? BF means they have to kiss… Evil, I know._

_To cullenEyeser, sorry but two chapters later would be too soon for the flow of the story. I know that many will hate that. But I need Edward to realize he and Bella are meant to be (which will happen in the next three chapters as promised) then Bella and the Cullens move to Forks where she'll get her first boyfriend and all. That's when ExB happen. I'm really sorry if it isn't fast enough._

_To reader13lovesbooks, I suppose that's something you'd have to ask SM. But if it were up to my guess, I'd say that Jasper has the most problem with it-and that's why Alice was so concerned about him, and they always say that he's the weakest one. They're always on their guard. And they've also been around humans for a long time, so it's not that they're not bothered, they just have to try their best not to attack._

_To Aleatoire, a drawing of seven year old Bella with Edward? Now THAT I'd love to see…_

_To Clearly Alice, thank you. I appreciate it. And I was wondering when you'd finish all the chapters just so I could get another review from you. LOL. Keep reading, yeah??_

_So please review and tell me what you think of this chapter._

_Juliet._


	24. FYI

_**A/N:**_ I know, evil, but I need you to know. About the poll guys. I know I'm not supposed to tamper with the votes, and I'm not. I just wanted you to know some of the things I have planned for the werewolves. I don't want them to win only for me to change the way the story goes later on.

First of all, Bella would be told by the Cullens of the treaty. That also means that they would tell her about the werewolves and what they do, etc. As you know, the Cullens aren't very fond of werewolves, especially Edward-though that has everything to do with Jacob-and Rosalie because she's outspoken about their scent and all.

So when Bella goes to Forks, she would come across werewolves because I find them intriguing. They would be a nice addition to the story. But you have to understand that she's not Bella Swan in this story. She's Bella Hale, sister and daughter and future mate of vampires. Hell, she's going to be a vampire soon, though the pack doesn't know that.

Rest assured that Jacob would come into the story. He would act as Jacob-ish as I can possibly make him, which means he'll be Bella's friend.

The werewolves would be incredibly angry and concerned that the Cullens have taken in a human girl.

You know how the vampire-werewolf thing is…A lot of angst, hormones and stupidity on some people's parts.

So I'm not so sure Bella would be very open to a relationship with Jacob. I just wanted to say that because a lot of you have voted for him to be her first boyfriend. I agree that his presence would cause Edward to get riled up easily.

I will have a lot of Bella and Jacob's interactions, but so far I have only planned their friendship.

I'm just not so sure that I want Bella to reciprocate those feelings because he is a werewolf. And Bella not only knows she's going to be a vampire in the future, her entire family is practically their mortal enemy. I don't think she'll really be all that into being Jacob's girlfriend, but that's just my opinion.

Besides, I'm sure you have all read hundreds of fan-fictions here, and most of them include Jacob as the other guy.

I know that a lot of you also talked about Mike being Bella's first boyfriend. I think I like the puppy love thing better. Besides, SM wrote it like Bella wasn't interested in any human boys. As if she was subconsciously attracted to the supernatural. I like that element. Gabriel just made his way in there, but other than that…

I have no idea if this changes your vote or not, but I'd like to just put it out there. If in the end, the votes are still favoring Jacob, then I'll do my best to change the flow of the story I had in mind. I hope I didn't give too much away. I just wanted you to know about the plan I had for the werewolves.

Thanks for reading, reviewing and voting.

P.S. The next chapter will come in today as well. Check in an hour or so if you can. Thank you.

Juliet.


	25. Tragedy

_**A/N: **__Sorry it took so long to post. It's just that last chapter, and this go together. Two more to come before we move to Forks. I'll post as fast as possible. Thanks for your support. And check our my new poll. This one is going to be up for a while. Concerning Bella's BOYFRIEND. LOL. I'm just excited. Go check it out and vote. Thank you!_

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Jasper, Edward, Bella, Esme_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Jasper's POV_

I met Maria two years after I joined the Confederate Army. I was still at war, still battling.

When I saw her, I thought I was having a nightmare. Sure, she was beautiful. You couldn't deny that.

But she looked crazed. And her eyes were crimson. Her smooth voice didn't captivate me-it terrified me.

I remembered the day I met her clear as day.

And when she bit me, I wanted nothing more than to die.

Two years of being in the army. Two years of shooting people, being near bombs, and seeing my comrades die. Two years of being so close to death I could _taste _it.

And all she had to do was show up and smile, and I wanted to die.

For three days, I begged for it. I couldn't stand the fire, the burn. It killed me from the inside. I was practically sobbing through it. I wasn't proud of acting so cowardly. But the fire…It was like I was being burnt at the stake alive.

When I woke up, Maria told me all about vampires. She brought me my 'meal'. A terrified girl one of the soldiers had snatched up from the village nearby. She was so beyond afraid of what would befall her. All she wanted was to home. I could feel the blinding terror in her, but I was so thirsty…So thirsty.

So I grabbed her and I sank my teeth into her neck. I ignored her screams, and I ignored how she clawed at my marble skin. Her nails didn't even hurt. I drank until she was dry of blood. I drank until I believed that I had turned into a monster.

And when her dead body hit the ground, I wasn't sure which I wanted more-to grab every human I saw and drank them dry, or to sink to my knees and cry like there was no tomorrow.

Maria discovered my power for me-I was an empath. She didn't particularly thought that was a useful gift, but it came in handy when she wanted to know which human to turn for her newborn army. She wanted to know which human was afraid, and which human wasn't, in the face of death. She wanted the best.

And that was what she got.

For a hundred years, I was her pet. She changed the humans, turned them into bloodthirsty newborns, and I was to train them. It wasn't easy doing that. Newborns were so powerful, so rebellious. They weren't willing to listen or to fight or follow orders. All they wanted was more blood.

But I had trained with Maria. She turned me into a ruthless vampire. A ruthless killer. The newborns were tough to handle, but I was able to do it.

My entire upper body was attacked mercilessly as they bit and tore at me. That was why I had so many scars on my chest. But I still managed to train them.

When their newborn strength started to fade, about a year after their transformation, Maria would see them as useless. She would make me kill them.

So that was my job. Train and kill.

I did that for a century before I met Peter again. He had a new companion, Charlotte. They didn't want to be a part of Maria's plan. And neither did I, anymore. I was sick of it. A waging war with newborns on our side. It became a little too tedious after a hundred years.

I left with Peter and Charlotte, but Maria was never happy about that. In her eyes, I was the prize. I had been the one capable of doing what many vampires couldn't. I was able to handle and train tens of hundreds of newborns. Others would be lucky if they could survive one.

When you're changed into a vampire, you're strong. Stronger than most vampires, in fact. Your newborn strength would last for a year, but during that time, you would be almost impossible to handle.

But I could, and I did.

Maria looked for me before. Once. I'd already met Alice. Maria wasn't too pleased about that. She had told me that when I was ready to stop pretending, my place at her side would still be there. She would still be waiting for my return.

I never wanted to return. After Alice…There was nothing more than I could need.

Now Maria was going to be in Denali. She was going to find me. And she was going to set her sights on Bella. And Maria always got what she wanted.

I have never been more scared, including those three days of endless fire, in my life.

Bella was a part of this family. She was human, and warm, and lovely. She was my sister. And in just a year or two, if Edward decided he has been stupid long enough, she was going to join the family in a different way altogether. She would be Edward's mate.

Bella has made this family complete-a feat I didn't think any being on earth could have accomplished. She had just two years of humanity left.

And now she was going to lose it all.

I meant it when I said it. Maria has never been denied something she wanted. With the exception of me, of course. Bella…She was an insignificant human to someone like Maria. Her scent was indescribable.

I should know.

Every time Bella has her 'female human time of the month', Alice has to warn me beforehand so I could come back more than fully fed. It was hard to remember my choice of lifestyle when I catch a whiff of her scent. It was why we weren't as close as we were before. I didn't hug her as often. Her scent has gotten stronger throughout the years.

She understood, though. Much more than I did. She would know that I was upset over it and she'd just smile and say "Two years now, big brother." She, too, was waiting until we could be like we were before.

Even so, I looked out for her. She meant too much. I was so ashamed of acting the way I did. I was ashamed that there was a part of me that wanted to taste her blood, and just satisfy the ache in my throat.

But I couldn't do it.

Bella was my sister, like I said. She deserved the two years of humanity.

So we begun to formulate a plan. Alice could see when Maria would make an appearance with her newborn army. Esme called Carlisle home, then proceeded to ring up Kate, Carmen, Eleazar and Irina. We were going to need as much help as possible.

When Tanya whined about going after a strong vampire in clothes covered in plaster, Rosalie offered, sarcastically I might add, to bring her outside and hose her down. That shut Tanya up. We simply didn't have the time to worry about these trivial matters.

Edward wanted to hide Bella. He wanted to take her someplace else and hide until Maria was gone. He wanted to go someplace sunny where Maria and her newborn army couldn't go to, like Arizona or California.

But Alice had shook her head-it was too late. Maria was already on her way. There wasn't a lot of time left. If Edward and Bella were to leave now, they would meet Maria along the way. She would kill him and bite her. Without anyone to help them, it was a lost battle.

So he had stayed put, pacing around, mumbling incoherent words to himself. Truthfully, I have never seen him so riled up.

I knew it was because of Bella's scent as well. He felt the pull stronger than I did. Carlisle had a theory about that. He had said that Bella was Edward's 'La Tua Cantante'. She was his singer. Her blood called out to him stronger than any other.

I had never gone through that, personally. But Emmett had. Twice. He had adopted our lifestyle from the moment he opened his newborn eyes, but he still took those two people. He couldn't help himself. The pull was too strong.

It was harder for Edward than it was for me to be around Bella. I think that helped him stay away from her, as well.

But we were all pretty much desensitized since we'd been surrounded by her scent for eight years. Her scent and her blood has gotten more potent over the years, but it was bearable. He, like I, couldn't even fathom the idea of killing Bella. He was in control.

But Maria wouldn't be.

Once she'd caught a whiff of Bella's scent, she would want to kill her, taste her blood. I wasn't so sure if we'd manage to make it out alive. I wasn't sure if Bella would.

Edward snarled in my direction. I sighed. _You know I want Bella to survive, Edward. I'm just thinking of my worries. You'll excuse me for not concealing my thoughts from the nosy mind-reader._

He glared at me and continued pacing. Bella was sitting nervously on the couch, wedged between Esme and Rosalie, who both had their arms around her. I hoped they didn't squeeze the breath out of her.

The door burst open, and all of us were on our guard. We turned towards the newcomer, anxious. It was Carlisle.

I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. I was a military man before I was changed. I was a military man after I was changed. I should have known better than to act upon my fears. Carlisle's scent was familiar to me-I should've caught that.

He hurried into the room, frazzled. He had heard about Alice's vision over the phone with Esme. Needless to say, he'd forego everything at the hospital and came running back home. "Bella!" he exclaimed, rushing forward and grabbing her face in his hands. He kissed the top of her head tenderly and smiled a little at her. She smiled half-heartedly back.

Carlisle took his place next to Esme, clutching her hand. We continued with our plan of defense. Soon after, Kate, Carmen, Eleazar and Irina came by. Irina looked like she would rather be anywhere but here. The others must have forced her to come. I'd rather she had stayed away. We needed everyone to do their very best, not a half hearted job that would get everyone else killed.

"How much longer 'til they reach here?" I asked Alice.

She blanked for a minute, then she turned to me. "Less than a day. They'll reach Denali by midnight tonight. They plan on feeding then coming to find you," she said.

I flinched internally. Coming to find you. This wouldn't be happening if it weren't for me.

As if sensing the reason for my further distress, Alice placed a hand on my arm and squeezed gently, reassuringly. I shot her a grateful smile, thankful for her support. I turned back to the others.

"Here's how I think it should go. I want to try catching them off-guard. Kate, Tanya, Eleazar, you go with Emmett, Rose and Edward-"

Before I could say anything else, Bella had shot out of her seat and flung herself at Edward. "No!" she cried. "You can't send him." She was sobbing by now, and he had gotten over his shock at her sudden outburst. Edward wrapped his arms around her and held her close, rubbing her back gently as her body wrecked with sobs.

"Bella, it's the best plan there is," Rose said softly.

Bella shook her head, still clinging onto Edward as if she was afraid he would disappear before her very eyes. "I don't care," she said bitterly. "I know the stories. I know about newborns. They're dangerous. And now there's six of them. I can't…I can't," she sobbed, too frantic to continue.

Edward closed his eyes as if he was in pain. Pulling her down, he sat on the armchair and sat her on his lap. "Bella, it's going to be alright," I heard him whisper. She was still crying, and I wasn't sure what to do. Edward heard this in my thoughts, and gestured with his hand for me to continue.

I begun speaking again reluctantly, but it was easy for me to revert back to my army Major role. "Catch them when they come at midnight. I taught you how to take out newborns before so kill as many as you can. Alice said there'll be six of them. Do the best you can. Maria won't be as easy."

We would have to spend the next few hours discussing tactics. Knowing Maria, these newborns would be skilled in fighting. She didn't have me to train them, but she would have found someone else to do her dirty work.

Esme, Carlisle, Carmen, Irina, Alice and I would have to stay behind to watch over Bella and guard her. It wasn't safe. It was just like Maria to pull a last minute stunt and have her newborn army come straight here and attack. She might not know about Bella yet, and we wouldn't be dangling her in front of Maria's face, but it was just a matter of time.

Finally, it was fifteen past eleven. Edward and the others had to leave to make it in time. They needed to catch Maria and her army off guard.

Edward led Bella back to her room, where she would be staying. Carmen and Esme would be keeping a watch on her, even after Maria arrives.

We let them say their goodbyes. I knew this wasn't supposed to be the end. I knew there was still time for them to be together. I knew that once this was all over, everything would be perfect again.

Yet, I couldn't help the feeling of dread from overtaking me.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I barely listened to Jasper's strategies. I would get it all from his mind, or someone else's, later on anyway.

All I could concentrate on was Bella. Here she was, sitting on my lap, curled into my arms, sobbing her heart out because she was afraid for me. Ironically, I would do the same if I could. I'd cry for her.

We had less than fifteen minutes left before I had to go with Emmett, Rose, Tanya, Kate and Eleazar. Emmett and Rose were going because they were strong, aggressive fighters. Emmett especially. Tanya was going because she was skilled in combat. Kate because she could electrocute them. And Eleazar because he was extraordinary in combat due to his Volturi past and because he could tell us if any of the newborns have any new powers.

I stood up, carrying Bella as I went, and headed up the stairs. It was time for me to put her in bed. I knew she hated being treated like a child. I had overheard this conversation multiple times in the past few years. She had even asked me to treat her like an adult once. Before I started ignoring her, of course.

But she was too exhausted from crying so hard to actually care.

When we reached her room, I gently placed her on the bed. She crawled under the covers and hugged herself as if she was keeping herself from falling apart. It killed me to see her this way.

I reached out and brushed her pale, warm cheek with my cold fingers. "Don't worry, Bella," I said reassuringly. "I promise everything would be okay. I promise I won't let her touch you. I promise you'll be safe."

I would make that promise everyday. And I have. I'd promised to myself to keep her safe no matter what.

Bella sniffed and shook her head. "What if you got hurt?" she whispered.

"I won't."

"But the newborns…Aren't they stronger than you? What if they have powers, too? What if one of them…Zaps you or something?

Despite myself, I laughed. "Zaps me?" I teased, chuckling. Bella scowled at me, her puffy, red-tinged eyes glaring at me. I stopped laughing, and drew her to me. "You'll be alright, Bella, and so will I."

Bella started to panic again. I could hear her heartbeat starting to accelerate and her breath coming in short, quick gasps. I rubbed her back soothingly, hoping that she would calm down. This can't be good for her health.

"What if you won't be alright?" she asked, her wild eyes seeking mine desperately. "What if it goes badly? What if-"

"Bella," I said sternly. I would not let her put this on her shoulders. The weight of the world isn't her responsibility. Her safety is my responsibility, my job. I had vowed to protect her, since the very first day I met her. Whatever it was, be it Alice's crazy shopping sprees, or Emmett's too-strong hugs when she was still too little, be it Connor, the Volturi or Maria, I would always keep her safe.

I brushed her hair back with my fingers so I could look into her chocolate eyes fully. I had missed looking into them, especially for a longer time than five seconds. I had missed the closeness of our relationship, no matter how platonic it might be. "Don't talk like that," I chided her. "We will be alright. You will have a chance to be human for a few years. You will be happy, and safe and protected."

Bella sniffed again, then climbed onto my lap. She placed her head on my shoulder, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

Away from the prying eyes of my family, I hugged her closer, burying my face into her hair. I took in a deep breath, taking in the sweet strawberry scent I'd missed.

Somewhere in the house, Alice squealed.

Bella's warm body trembled against my cold, iron one as she said her goodbye. She knew I would have to leave soon.

And she knew, as well as I did despite my words, that there was every chance this would be my last time with her. Being what we are, every day is a constant danger. Either from exposure or from something like this happening.

I wished beyond anything that I could protect her from that harsh truth.

I heard Jasper calling my name from downstairs. He was using a normal tone so that Bella wouldn't hear. Anything might set her in hysterics. I knew how she felt. I wished I could break down just like her. The emotions raging in me was so strong I was surprised Jasper wasn't curled up in a ball in the corner, tearing his hair out of his scalp.

"I have to go," I whispered, pressing my lips to the top of her head. Bella's arms tightened around me. If I were human, I would be choking due to the lack of oxygen. Of course, I could break her grip in a second if I wanted to.

Bella pressed her forehead to the side of my neck. I felt the warm trickle of her tears as they slid down her cheeks. "Don't go," she pleaded.

I sighed as I ran my hands through her hair. "I have to. You know that…I promise I'll come back," I said gently.

"You have to, okay?" she said, pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes. "I just got you back."

I flinched as Bella's voice cracked. Oh, what a fool I had been. I kept her at arm's length to protect her, but I should have stayed by her side. I shouldn't have wasted the time I had left with human Bella. I should have done everything she had wanted to do with me.

We had an entire list of things to do. I had suggested we created one after I got over the shock of Aro's deal. We were going to travel to Australia, go deep sea diving (something I only let her write because I knew no matter what, I would never allow it…She was too accident prone. She would also probably attract a shark in the middle of the ocean. It would be just like Bella). Emmett wrote down 'bungee jumping' just for the fun of it. Unfortunately, she took it seriously. I still had yet to discourage her from it.

I should have spent my time doing everything on that list with her. She only had so little time left to be human. There was a deadline. I couldn't find anything to stop it from happening. What else could I do but make the most out of it?

And even then, I hadn't done so.

Emmett and Jasper were calling me again, telling me that we really had to go. I hugged Bella tightly once more before shifting her so that she was laying on the bed, the covers tucked around her. "Once I get back," I said solemnly. "We're going to do everything on that list. Together."

Bella smiled slightly as she understood my meaning. "Promise?" she whispered, refusing to release me from her fragile, human grip.

"I promise," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. My lips lingered on her overheated skin. I could hear her heart going in overdrive, and I could feel the flush of her skin against my lips. I smiled, pulling back. Gently, I reached around my neck and took her arms away.

"Be safe," I whispered, watching Bella's eyes fluttered close as she succumbed to slumber.

******************************************************************************

I ran with Kate by my side as we reached the intended destination of Maria and her newborn army when they arrived. It was a more deserted location. Of course, most of where we lived was deserted. You probably couldn't find a single human soul other than Bella for fifty miles.

Tanya had tried to tag along near us, but Rosalie had called her to the front with her and Emmett. I had told her to go.

I wanted to talk to Kate alone.

Asides from my family, Kate was one of the few people I could honestly talk to. She was compassionate in everything, but she still had that edge to her that reminded me of Rosalie and Bella put together.

I could talk to my family but I already knew what their answer would be. They had been telling me what they thought since I first found out about Alice's visions. The ones she'd kept from me for six years.

I didn't hold it against her or any of my family, for that matter. If they had told me sooner, I would have ran. I wouldn't have all those wonderful years of being with Bella. In this case, I truly believed that ignorance was bliss.

Now that I knew, though, I was confused. I wasn't sure what to do or how to act. I knew I loved her. I knew I would do anything for her. I knew I couldn't imagine my life without her. So does that constitutes the kind of love mates have for each other? Would we have the kind of relationship Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper have for each other? I didn't know. I couldn't picture it all that well.

But could I fall in love with someone else? Could I picture myself with another vampire? Could I picture myself tied to someone else for the rest of eternity?

Absolutely not.

Once the others were separated from us to go to their own battleground, and I was alone with Kate, I looked at her sideways. To my surprise, she laughed.

_Just tell me what's bothering you, Edward. We both know you want to talk about it_.

Perceptive. Just like Bella.

I laughed nervously as we waited for Maria and her newborn army to show up in the snowy plains. "It's about Bella," I started. I kept my voice low, in a whisper. None of the others would be able to hear me. "You have to promise you won't say anything, Kate. No one can know."

Her eyes widened as she took in my solemn tone and my serious expression. She nodded her head after a while, and gave me a small, reassuring smile. _You have my word._

I told her about Alice's visions, and about ignoring Bella for her own sake. I told her everything from my own perspective. I told her how it killed me inside being without Bella. And I told her how confused I was.

Kate sighed, and bit her lip, looking away for a moment. When she looked back at me, she gave me a look that said she had it all figured out. The good thing about talking to Kate was that she always knew the answer in the end.

_If you love her, Edward, then what's the problem? It's not about the visions or about making your family happy, it's about you. The visions are only predictions of what's going to happen. No one would force you to fall in love with her. No one would put the two of you under a magic spell. It's just love, Edward. You get a warning beforehand. Take it, embrace it. You've spent a century without love. It's presented itself to you, pure, unadulterated, wonderful. What's the problem?_

I considered her words. It was true. They _were _predictions of what's to come.

And if being with Bella as her best friend made me so happy, imagine what it'll be like to be with her as her mate?

She was already so beautiful. She had been the most adorable child I'd ever seen. And when she grew up, she just became more and more beautiful. She rivaled Rosalie. I remembered how she looked like in Alice's vision. A year from now, two years from now…She would be absolutely stunning. In those visions, I had to admit, she took my breath away.

Didn't it kill me to be away from her? Didn't it torture me not to hear her voice, or be the reason for her laughter, or see the sadness in her eyes?

I looked sheepishly at Kate. "I just never knew what to do…It was like a huge pressure on me. I love Bella, I truly do. I always thought it was platonic love. All of a sudden, Alice came right out and showed me that I was to fall in love with her. I've seen her at age _six_, Kate. I've seen her grow up. I just…I don't know," I finished lamely.

_I can understand that. It must have taken you a while to get used to the idea. I don't know if you already are used to the idea. Just remember, Edward. This isn't some job for you to fulfill. It's your happiness, and Bella's. Just let the pieces fall into place. Let everything work out on their own. I just have to say that your friendship with Bella is way too strong for you to just go about throwing it away. I remember the first time I saw the two of you together. She was already so attached to you. Be honest with me, Edward. Was it really a surprise to you that she would turn out to be your mate? The connection you have with her…It's unprecedented. So it was a little shocking and a little scary. Love normally is._

I cracked a smile at her. "Thanks, Kate. I just needed time."

_I hope it all works out. Bella's going to be a part of your family forever. It'll be really wonderful if the two of you could be that way like that. She's a great girl._

I heard a high pitched sound coming from the north of us. I shared a grim look with Kate and tilted my head to the side. We took off running in the direction. We found Emmett tackling a particularly huge newborn. He was snapping his jaws at Emmett, who shoved him head first into the snow.

"Where's Rosalie and Tanya?" I shouted at him over the screams of the newborn.

"Rose took off after a newborn attacking Eleazar. Headed south, I think," he yelled back. I could see the frenzy he was in. His thoughts weren't even coherent. "Tanya went north."

"Stay with Emmett, help him," I ordered Kate. She nodded, snarled at the newborn once and lunged. I didn't stay to watch. Rose already had Eleazar with her. Tanya was alone, so I needed to help. She could be surrounded by newborns for all I knew.

I ran south as fast as I could, trying to catch her scent. When I found it, I dashed in her direction. Sure enough, two newborns were circling her as she posed, ready to strike. Fear was evident in her eyes. The newborns would be able to catch my scent by now-but I was fast. I snapped the head of one of them and threw it to the side. The other newborn wasn't even fazed. He continued circling us.

"Where's Maria?" I didn't know if my question was directed at Tanya or the newborn. I just wanted the question answered.

It was the newborn who answered me, in his mind. _Maria wanted his boy. Distract. Kill._

His thoughts came in a jumbled mess. Those were the only things I could make out. His bloodlust was too strong. He was crazed for blood-only there wasn't any human nearby.

We had to take out all the newborns before they could reach the house. Bella was the only human in a fifty mile radius, like I said. They wouldn't even blink once before attacking. Maria or no Maria, Bella was in danger.

Emmett and Kate had taken care of one newborn, and I had just killed another. If Alice's vision was right, there was four of them left. Including the one snapping its jaws at me at the moment. I had to strike fast.

"Tanya, watch my back!" I yelled. I had to go in for the kill. The newborn would be harder to kill once it knows I was there.

I lunged forward the same time the newborn did. I managed to secure one hand around its neck and push it back to the snow. He kicked me off of him and jumped to his feet. He snarled at me, and I growled back. He wasn't going to faze me. I swiped my feet under his, tripping him. I punched him several times in the face to distract him, then pinned his body under mine using my knees. Grabbing his head by the ears, I tugged at his head. He let out a high pitched wail that was suddenly, sickeningly, cut off when his neck was ripped off his body. I threw it aside, careful not to throw it too far off so that we could burn the bodies completely.

As I begun to stood up, a fresh, ripping pain hit me from the side, and I howled, blacking out for a second as I was blinded by the pain.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I couldn't sleep. Not even when Esme turned on Clair de Lune on my stereo. When Edward had left, I'd drifted off for a few minutes, but that was only because I was so tired after crying so much.

Now I was just a bundle of nerves. Seconds seemed like hours to me. I was so worried. The people who went to greet Maria and the newborns were people I cared about.

With the exception of Tanya, of course. Even then, I wouldn't wish for her to die.

I had just gotten Edward back. I didn't know why his sudden change. I didn't know if it was going to last. I hoped that he wouldn't go back to ignoring me when he gets back.

All I knew was that he hugged me, and comforted me, and promised me that he'd be safe and that we'd go through our list when he gets back.

I couldn't lose that now.

He had been gone for two hours and forty two minutes, according to my radio alarm. Every now and again, panic would overtake me and I'd start sobbing. Jasper would use his gift all the way from the living room.

Whenever I started to cry, Esme would hug me like a mother would. Of course, this just reminded me that Rosalie was out there as well, and I'd start to cry all over again.

If this Maria wanted me, then why couldn't she just have me? Instead of sending the people I loved to fight for me, why not just let her have me? I was going to be a vampire soon anyway. What does it matter?

I felt like running outside, jumping up and down while screaming 'I'm here! Do you see me! Come and get it!'

To make it worse, I kept having a terrible feeling in my guts. It was as if I was sure something horrible was going to happen. Of course, this was Alice's thing, not mine. I just couldn't help it. I felt nauseous and jittery. When I said this out loud, Esme and Carmen said it was because I was worried for the others.

I was worried. And I had been worried before. With the Volturi. I had never been as terrified in my life as I was when they arrived. I had seen my entire family being tortured right in front of me. But never have I felt like this.

Something horrible was going to happen. I knew it.

"Can I talk to Alice?" I whispered, rocking back and forth on the bed as I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs.

Esme and Carmen exchanged a silent look full of meaning. I knew they were worried for my sanity, as well as for the safety of the others.

Esme sat next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked softly, bringing a hand up to brush my hair back.

Edward had done the same just a few hours ago.

Another ripple of pain shot through me at the thought of him. I gasped as if I was in pain, new tears forming behind my eyes. I hoped to God he was alright.

He was a skilled fighter, Jasper had told me this. But newborns were stronger. Jasper himself, the military man in the family, had been injured by them. And he _trained _them. He _killed _them. Jasper was more equipped to handle the newborns than Edward.

I knew why Jasper had to stay. Maria might come here instead. Jasper needed to be here for that. She might bring newborns with her. He needed to be here for that, too.

But Edward. Why Edward? I just couldn't shake this dreadful feeling.

"I need to talk to her," I managed to choke out. "Please."

I hated how vulnerable, how small I sounded. In the midst of the war, I was the only one who didn't belong. Even Esme could be violent. I hadn't seen her in battle, but I'd seen her with Emmett. Trust me, she could handle herself.

Alice appeared at the doorway of my bedroom without anyone calling her. She must have heard me asking for her. Or seen me. Either way, my frazzled, exhausted mind didn't care. I only wanted to know.

She saw the question I was going to ask, and shook her head. "Nothing, Bella," she said gently, coming to sit by me as well. "I didn't see anything bad happen. Don't worry, alright?"

Don't worry? How could she ask that of me? How could Edward? I wasn't a little kid anymore, I knew when something bad was happening. They didn't have to baby me all the time, and keep things from me like this!

I glared at her, and her frown deepened. She seemed to know the outburst she would be enduring. "I can't not worry, Alice!" I yelled. My voice cracked, though, so I sounded rather pathetic. "Edward's out there. Rose and Emmett are out there. Kate's out there! What if something horrible happens? What then?"

I collapsed back on the bed, turning my head so that it was pressed against one of the throw pillows.

I couldn't lose them, any of them. Edward was my best friend. Rosalie was my mother. Emmett was my buddy. I needed all of them to survive. Even Kate. Even Eleazar. Even Tanya.

Alice laid down next to me, and kissed my hair. "I know, angel," she whispered. "But you have to understand-they'll protect each other. They won't be harmed. Trust the psychic," she joked. Her voice was tinged with sadness, and I immediately felt bad.

I reached out and took her cold hand. "I'm sorry," I mumbled into the pillow. I knew she could hear me.

"S'okay," she said. "I know-" Her sentence stopped altogether out of nowhere. I lifted my head from the pillows to look at her. She had that distant, faraway look in her eyes. I knew immediately that she was having a vision.

She snapped out of it as quickly as she had the vision. She looked around frantically. "Esme, Carmen, look after Bella. _Do not leave this room_," she said through clenched teeth. She ran out the door screaming Jasper's name.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

Bella kept panicking every few minutes. I felt exhausted just sending out calming waves to her. I knew why she was so upset, though. Edward was out there. Despite his behavior towards her in the past year, she loved him dearly. It hurt her to think that he might be harmed or injured out there.

It was necessary, though. I had more experience with newborns, but I couldn't leave the house. Maria might just come here. I didn't need Alice's gift to know that. She didn't stick to her original plans all the time. That was me. The military guy who followed protocols. She, on the other hand, was a spur of the moment vampire.

I heard Bella asking for Alice. She sounded so broken, so helpless. It was exactly how I felt. Maybe it was her influence, but it still made me anxious to feel this way.

Alice went up to her, and I heard the conversation they had. She was worried something bad might have happened. I could feel the anxiety and dread coming off of her in waves. She really believed something horrible either has or will happen.

Alice was comforting her when her voice was cut off. I glanced in the direction of the stairs warily.

Carlisle and Irina were standing guard, making rounds in the perimeters. Esme and Carlisle were guarding Bella. Alice and I were waiting for Maria.

Was something wrong up there? My question was answered when Alice screamed my name. Before I had a chance to react, she was already by my side. "Maria," she said breathlessly, though she really didn't need to breathe.

My jaw clenched, I spoke through gritted teeth. "When?"

I heard a commotion outside-something like a high keening sound and angry yells. Something else caught my attention-the maniacal laughter of a crazed vampire.

Alice and I rushed outside only to be greeted by an ugly sight. Carlisle and Irina were surrounded by five newborns. Maria was standing slightly to the left, watching in amusement. When she saw me, she brightened up, a devious grin spreading on her face.

"Jasper!" she greeted me. "How nice of you to come out of hiding."

I growled, making sure Alice was behind me. She didn't need to be attacked. I knew Alice could handle herself, though. She was strong, fast and ruthless when needed. I would just prefer it to be me who killed the newborns, and Maria if I had to. Not her.

"Call off the newborns, Maria," I said, glancing around at them. Five newborns. The others weren't back yet, so it meant that Maria had more newborns with her than we'd realized. This wasn't good at all.

Maria chuckled, shaking her head, as she came closer. Alice growled, and stepped from behind me. She stood next to me in a protective stance. Maria laughed, throwing her head back. Her dark hair flying wildly about her. "Still with the little thing," she mused as she strolled closer. "You know, I've always pictured you with a blonde. Or maybe a red-head…She's tiny, Jazzy," she cooed mockingly, as if she was talking about a little girl.

I refused to be deterred. "Call. Off. The. Newborns," I said again, unable to keep the anger from my voice.

Maria dropped her act and rivaled my tone. "Only if you leave with me," she said, crimson eyes flashing to Alice once. "Train newborns for me. It's time, Jasper. For another war. I'm going to head to Europe…Come with me," she said.

Alice snarled at her, taking a step forward. I stopped her. Maria wouldn't hesitate to kill Alice. She didn't even need a reason to. I wasn't about to let anything happen to Alice.

"No. Maria, my time with you was up. I left. I'm never going back," I said. I needed to reason with her. I needed her to see that. And then I needed her to leave.

"You're coming with me, Jasper," Maria said. "You're the best. I want the best in war. So you're coming. Whether you like it. Or not."

And with that, all hell broke loose.

The newborns lunged forward and Carlisle and Irina went into defense. Alice jumped onto Maria, but she easily flung Alice off. Alice got back on her feet then crouched into a defensive stance.

I growled at Maria. "Leave her alone."

Maria ignored me and circled the two of us. Three high keening sounds later, we were still battling. Maria was as good as I was when it came to battle. She taught me everything I knew before she allowed me to train the newborns when we were still together. She had learnt some new tricks since then.

But so have I.

I lunged at her from the side, knocking her to the ground before she could attack Alice again. I wrapped one hand around her neck, my knees pinning her to the ground by the waist. My other hand held down her arm.

I heard a scream from in the house. Bella. Something was happening inside the house. Maria realized this the same time I did. She laughed, though it sounded scratchy and muffled because I was strangling her. "Looks like the family you're still hiding isn't as safe anymore," she said cockily.

I was caught off guard by the sudden smell of Bella's blood. She was bleeding…Maria caught it, too, and growled, thrashing against me. Alice came forward and helped me pin her down. Carlisle and Irina were still taking care of the other two newborns. I was right - Maria had trained them in combat.

I heard footsteps and immediately stiffened, on guard. I relaxed a little when I caught the familiar scent of Kate, Tanya, Emmett and Rosalie.

"Bella?" Rosalie asked, panicking. She, too, could smell Bella's blood.

"Inside. Go!" I barked at her. She nodded once and ran in, followed by Emmett. Kate and Tanya helped Carlisle and Irina with the newborns.

I looked down at Maria disgustedly. "They took care of your army," I told her. "You have to leave, or I'll take care of you, too," I told her, my voice ominous. She might be stupid enough to come looking for me. But she knew me well enough to know that I meant what I said.

"Fine," she choked out.

Alice and I slowly got off of her. The truth was, we couldn't kill Maria. The rest of her newborn army - the one that she didn't bring with her - would come looking for us if we did. It would mean war against us. We couldn't risk that.

But Maria knew that there was no way I was going to leave with her. And staying behind would only mean her destruction. Not only would we take care of it, but the Volturi would become involved as well because she would no doubt, at one point, become very close to exposing our kind.

Maria backed off slowly, her red eyes taking in everyone as she cautiously moved away. Then she smirked at me, laughing. "You should know, you're down by two men," she licked her lips, then turned and fled.

Alice and I exchanged a startled glance. We were down by two men. Edward and Eleazar were still gone. I turned to Alice and looked back at the house. "Alice, stay here and help out. If Bella's alright - once she's alright," I amended quickly. "Help collect the bodies and burn them. Kate, Tanya, Irina, collect the bodies left behind. We can't risk anyone finding them, or putting them back together. Carlisle and I will go find Edward and Eleazar."

Alice nodded her head and rushed into the house. Everyone else followed my orders as well. I ran with Carlisle - he headed north while I went south. I had to find Edward. I hoped he was alright. He had to be. It would devastate us if he weren't. It would devastate Bella.

I ran around the snow, looking for him. Finally I found him, lying face down in the cold. As I drew closer, I saw the condition he was in. "Oh, God," I whispered, horrified. "Edward."

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alright, so two chapters in one go. I hope that means I'm forgiven for not updating for so long. I thought Maria was pretty nifty. We didn't get to see her in the series, which I found strange considering she played a big role in Jasper's life._

_If you haven't already done so, please go to my profile page and vote for Bella's boyfriend-the one that she would get in Forks._

_P.S. I added a new option to the vote. I forgot about one of my ideas for Bella's BF…Kinda happens when you write so many chapters before it. I thought Bella could fall for a human who transferred from someplace else, you know? Like, he came from Chicago, or something (and no, the fact that it was Edward's birthplace isn't a coincidence). I thought he could have green eyes like Edward used to, and all that. He has to be charming, gentlemanly, etc. I think his name should be Jesse Cale or Derek Cale. I haven't decided yet. This could set Edward thinking, as well. I just wanted to know what you thought of it. Please vote. Thank you._

_To icrodriquez, it's sixteen months since the vacation, so it's February. Bella has been 15 years old for six months. Thank you for reading!_

_To Stefy101, yes, Bella's going to have a boyfriend before Edward._

_To twilighter2014, no, not really. As you see in this chapter, a turn of events led Maria to never even meeting Bella though she smelled the blood. Something else happened with Bella. The main point of this is for Edward to get over and accept the visions. And yes, her friends are making an appearance._

_To rockandrollmoni, nice euphemism._

_To twilightandedwardfan252, I do like HP, but I prefer Twilight._

_I would appreciate the reviews you could give me for this chapter and the last as well. Thank you so very much!_

_Juliet._


	26. Repercussions

_**A/N:**__ I completely love the fact that all of you were so tortured about how well Edward and Bella were doing…I'm a sadist, I know. LOL. I'm kidding. I just had a severe case of writer's block for a few days. It's gone now. Keep me writing by reviewing and telling me what you think of this chapter, alright?? I hope to get this to you in time._

_BTW, for the poll, I placed multi-select on '3'. So if you have voted for two other people, you can still vote. Just to let you know…_

_P.S. For those of you who forgot, Bella's 15 and six months in this chapter._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Jasper, Bella, Edward, Carlisle_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

I didn't remember how I got here. All I remembered was lunging at that newborn. Tanya was supposed to be watching my back. I couldn't help wondering if she was attacked, too.

And then the pain came. The one drawback of my telepathic power was that I couldn't really use it when it came down to hunting. And killing newborns was pretty close to hunting. I had let my animalistic instincts take over.

I think it was a newborn. Maybe a newborn came at me from behind. I couldn't be sure. All I knew was right now, it felt as if I was floating somewhere, not feeling, not seeing, not being.

I was remembering, instead. I remembered the last few days of my human life. I remembered the time when Carlisle took my out of the hospital to save me. I remembered waking up to a whole new life, hunting for the first time, my rebellious period, going home to Carlisle only to find he had found Esme. I remembered how I met the rest of my family, our times together. I remembered Bella.

Bella.

If I didn't make it, she would be crushed. I knew that.

All I wanted was to keep her safe. I promised her I would be back. I promised her I would be with her again. How could I do this? I couldn't let go. Not now. I had to stay strong and just hold on.

But then, I had promised her a lot of things. I had broken all of my promises lately, it seemed.

The pain was excruciating. Every time I decided to stay strong and hold on, I came back down to earth and I felt the pain. It ripped through me. My mouth was opened in a silent scream.

I heard a voice, and all I thought was that Maria or one of her newborns had come back to finish the job.

I felt myself being lifted, and someone saying something. They never stopped talking. I struggled to hear it but I only caught snippets.

Bella. Okay. Blood. Maria. More. Eleazar. Bella.

Her name became a mantra in my head. I had to get back to her. But wait. Didn't this person say something about blood? And Maria? What if something had happened? What if Bella had been hurt?

I used all my strength to speak just that one word, to ask a million questions with her name. I gasped from all the effort it took just to say it. "Bella!" I wheezed finally, my eyes snapping open in pain.

My blurry sight caught a tuft of blonde hair. The Southern accent that came at me soothed me slightly. Jasper. He was here. Where was everyone else? Where was Bella?

My senses were coming back to me, but that meant the pain was becoming more pronounced now. Jasper trembled as he carried me back to the house. He was feeling my pain as well. He had to endure it _and _carry me. I wanted to stop feeling it, but I couldn't really. It wasn't up to me.

Some of the pain abated a little. That was because of Jasper. I had to remember to thank him later.

Ah, I understood now. He was telling me that everything was going to be alright. He was telling me that everyone was alright, as well. That I had nothing to be worried about.

But he never mentioned Bella. Why? Was she alright? Did he not know? I couldn't understand this…

Other voices started to become audible. I could smell the different scents now, too.

I heard someone screaming my name. It sounded a lot like Bella. No! She couldn't see me like this! I wasn't even sure how I looked like, but it couldn't be good.

There was a dull thud in the background and I wondered briefly if Bella had fallen down again. It would be very typical of her.

Carlisle's voice drew closer.

And then I screamed.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Once Alice had gone out of the room, Esme and Carmen had gotten frantic.

I didn't think they meant to show it. They were normally incredibly subtle about how they felt, especially in the middle of a crisis. But Alice had stopped screaming Jasper's name, so my guess was she had told him what was going on.

Being vampires, Esme and Carmen had probably heard it and panicked. They had locked the windows, drawn the curtains and barricaded the door.

As it that would stop a vampire. I should know.

Once, during the summer when I was eight years old, I had gotten angry at Emmett. He had taken Lilly somewhere, hidden her from me and made up stories about how he'd accidentally ate her.

Edward was gone on a hunting trip so he couldn't stop Emmett. Alice found it too funny. Carlisle was at the hospital. That meant that no one was there to help me find Lilly.

I got so mad at Emmett, I wouldn't talk to him even after he'd given Lilly back to me. He had started following me around, apologizing. I usually found it adorable. Then, I just found it annoying. Lilly had still been a little kitty back then. She could have been hurt unintentionally. Besides, he had me believing that he actually ate her!

So, tired of hearing his half-apologies, I had locked myself in my room, refusing to come out. Emmett had finally had enough and burst through the door. It flew open, hanging off the hinges. _I _had found it funny, and couldn't stop laughing-after I'd gotten over the shock. Esme and Rosalie on the other hand…

Esme made him re-do the door at human speed. Rosalie refused to kiss him for a week. Edward, rationalizing that I could have gotten hurt if I'd been in the way, had chased Emmett all the way to Canada.

Just like with Emmett, if Maria decided to come crashing through the door, my dresser probably wouldn't stop her.

Esme told me to stay under the covers. Lilly kept me company. She nuzzled her nose into my side, her tail swishing around under the covers.

I reached under the cover to pat Lilly but my finger snagged on her teeth. I yelped in pain as my finger throbbed, and started to bleed. Carmen and Esme stiffened, and turned to look at me. Carmen's eyes were almost completely pitch black, but Esme's were still golden though it was a darker shade. Both of them kept their cool, though.

I heard a scream. I thought it was part of the commotion I could hear downstairs. Then the scream became a little clearer, a little louder.

Something crashed through my window, causing shards of glass to fly everywhere. I screamed in pain as some of the broken glass hit me in the face, the neck, and the arms. I could feel the terrible sting, and I could practically smell the salty smell of blood in the air.

I hardly had time to registered what had crashed through the window. Carmen had picked me up and thrown me off the bed. Then she had lifted the bed easily with one hand and placed it as a shield in front of me. I stayed back, crouching behind the bed as I held my bleeding arms to myself, without being told to.

I heard the growls from the other side of the bed, though, and I couldn't resist peeking. A vampire was gripping Esme by the throat as she leaned over her on the floor. I watched as, with some difficulty, Esme managed to roll them over so that she was the one on top. Carmen rushed over to help Esme pin down the vampire with the dirty blonde hair.

As she struggled, the vampire arched its neck, its head thrown back in desperation. That was when her bright crimson eyes met my brown ones. She snarled, jaws snapping, and struggled harder.

She wanted me. She wanted my blood. The scent of my blood when I had accidentally hurt myself on Lilly's teeth had drawn this newborn to crash through the window, crazed for a taste of it.

"Keep down, Bella!" Esme shouted over the snarls of the newborn. I quickly ducked back down behind the bed. I heard the high pitched wail of the vampire and then…Nothing.

I wasn't allowed to look, but Esme said that the vampire was dead. I had to stay behind the bed and close my eyes until Carmen had brought the body out of the room. She didn't come back into the room because the scent of my blood was too much for her.

Esme, on the other hand, had been around my blood for a lot longer than she has. She had also been around my constant accidents. The scent of my blood was nothing new to her. So she came around behind the bed, her eyes still a beautiful topaz color, albeit a slightly darker tone, and looked at me concernedly.

She grazed my open wounds with a feather light touch so that I didn't feel anything. "Are you alright, angel?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

The pain made me want to cry out and sob, but I didn't want to put Esme through that. So I bit my lip to keep from making any sound, and nodded my head.

Esme didn't believe it. She examined my wounds with a critical eye and told me to stay put while she went to get the first aid kit.

Once she was gone, I remembered Lilly. Where was she? Had she escaped from the room, terrified of what was happening? Had she been hurt during the few minutes mishap had happened in this room?

"Lilly?" I called out, but my voice was barely a whisper. I cleared my throat, and tried again. "Lilly? Lilly!"

I hadn't noticed Esme had gotten back into the room until she was right next to me, Lilly cradled on one side, while her other hand held the first aid kit. "She has a slightly crooked tail…I'll be able to help her feel better. Other than that, there's no damage," she told me, placing Lilly on my lap.

Lilly nipped at my palm playfully, curling up to me. I smiled at Esme. "Thank you," I said, my voice back to being a whisper. Not that it mattered. Esme probably heard it as loudly as if I'd just screamed it from the other side of the room.

Esme started to tend to my wounds. Her face was troubled, as if something was bothering her. The commotion outside slowly started to subside, but I could still hear people yelling. Sometimes the voices were loud enough that I could distinguish who was speaking. Tanya, Kate, Rose…

Speaking of Rosalie, she had just come rushing in through the door, looking around wildly. I wondered what she was so panicked about. When she saw me, she gasped, and came rushing forward.

Esme looked at her, alarmed. "Rose, are you sure you can handle it?"

Rosalie glared at Esme, pursing her lips. "You don't think I could refrain myself from killing my own daughter, Esme?" she asked defensively.

Esme relented, giving her a small apologetic smile, and went back to cleaning my wounds. Rosalie cupped my face in her hands tenderly, careful not to touch my cuts. "Baby, are you okay?" she asked, looking at me from all over to see if there had been any more damage.

I shook my head. "Mom, I'm fine," I assured her. "A newborn crashed through the window-I was kinda in the way. I'm okay."

She didn't look as if she believed me. "Maybe we should get Carlisle to look at her," she murmured to Esme.

Esme shook her head. "I'm almost done. Carlisle would have to look at Edward and Eleazar once they're back," she said.

I started hyperventilating. Edward? What was wrong with Edward? Why did Carlisle have to look at him when he gets back? When would he get back? Why wasn't he already here when the others clearly were?

"You don't think he could put his daughter first?" Rosalie shot back, unaware of my sudden panic attack.

Esme sighed and turned to give Rosalie a reproving look. "Rose, I love Bella as if she was my own daughter, too. You're not the only one who cares about her. I'm concerned, too, and I don't care to be treated as if I could care less."

Rosalie bowed her head, looking repentant. "I'm sorry, Es-"

"Where's Edward?" I finally managed to gasp out.

Both Rosalie and Esme turned to look at me, then, and started to worry. "Breathe, baby," Rosalie said.

I shook my head. "No! Where's Edward?" I started to cry. I didn't know why exactly. All I knew was that I had had a horrible feeling since Edward left. And now he wasn't back yet, and Carlisle would have to look at him? Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Someone called for Esme and Rosalie. Esme finished up with my last wound and smiled reassuringly at me. I was far from that. "Just stay up here, Bella, alright? You don't need to see everything downstairs," she kissed me on the forehead and turned to go.

Rosalie did the same. "You'll be fine, baby."

I waited for all of two seconds after they had left. I went out of my room and went to the landing, staying hidden from sight so that no one could hear me. I didn't think they would notice that I was there since they were so busy with everything that was happening.

I smelled something like burnt flesh coming from outside and gagged slightly. I had smelled the same thing when Connor had been killed.

People were rushing about everywhere. Eleazar came limping into the room, his leg in a bad shape. I stared at him. Weren't vampires meant to be indestructible? How could he get hurt?

And the more important question-was Edward hurt, too?

I heard someone saying Edward's name, and my head snapped towards the door. Jasper came through the doorway, his face grim. In his arms was Edward. I didn't think he was conscious. His arm was almost torn off completely from his shoulder. His perfect face was pulled into a painful grimace.

I gasped, clutching at the spot right where my heart was beating wildly. "Edward!" I screamed, before I fell into the darkness.

******************************************************************************

_Carlisle's POV_

As with every war, there had to be casualties. For this particular war, it came in the form of my son and Eleazar.

Eleazar's leg had been almost ripped from the knee down. A chunk of flesh had been bitten from his throat, and there were scars along his arms. From what I could tell, more than one newborn had gotten to him. There was no one at the site when I found him. My guess was, Maria had called them off when she escaped.

Jasper had come in a few minutes after I had started tending to Eleazar. He had carried Edward for miles. I could tell he was glad to reach home. It had to be painful for him to feel the pain Edward was in. Edward's arm had been almost completely ripped off his shoulder.

From behind me, I heard Bella scream. I spun around only to see her horrified gaze on Edward. She stumbled forward, her eyelids drooping. Before I could even make a move, Rosalie was right in front of her, catching her as she fell. Without a word, Rose carried her back up the stairs.

I sighed, shaking my head. It was such a shame that Bella had to see Edward like that. From what I could saw, Edward would make a full recovery. I would have to reattach his arm by the use of stitches.

Usually, when a vampire had been injured like this, their flesh is a lot more tender than usual. It would be almost as soft as a human's around the wound. In Edward's case, it would be the shoulder and the disjointed arm. That would make giving him stitches all the more easier.

But Bella had no way of knowing that. She had seen Edward at his most vulnerable so far, lying on the floor, broken and injured. For all she knew, he was dead…Well, more so than usual.

I stopped the inappropriate chuckle threatening to escape my mouth. _Now is not the time, Carlisle_, I chided myself.

I immediately got to work on Edward, yelling over my shoulder at Jasper, giving him instructions on aiding Eleazar. The others were still taking care of what remained of Maria's newborn army. If this had been the smallest part of her army she could spare to lose, I shuddered to think just how plentiful and how strong her actual army was.

Once I was done fixing Edward's arm, I carried him to his room and laid him down on the black couch. He still had to rest. Having his arm ripped off like that took a lot out of him. He would be drifting in and out of consciousness for the next few hours.

I sighed as I stared at his supposedly sleeping form. His pale face looked even paler now, as if he were sick.

I wondered how Bella would react to this once she saw him. I'd imagine that she would be incredibly happy to find that he was still alive, more or less. I'd also imagine that she would be upset that he had been injured.

Edward and Bella were soul mates, whether they realized it or accepted it or not. I knew Edward now knew, I just didn't know if he had accepted it yet.

I had to wonder when Bella would find out. It would be a little difficult to tell her. She had, after all, been with this family since she was six years old. If Edward had reacted like that, I couldn't even imagine how Bella would react.

But then again, she wasn't as prone to overreacting as Edward was.

I took one last look at my son and rushed out the door. I had to check on Eleazar, and to see if all the newborns had been burnt.

I passed by Bella's room, and decided to enter. I had to check on my daughter, first and foremost. She was of more importance.

Bella was already tucked in bed, her head lolled to the side. Rosalie was sitting on the bed next to her, brushing her hair. A worried expression was etched onto her otherwise flawless features.

"Carlisle, would you check on her?" Rosalie asked in a whisper. "She was hurt before, and then she fainted…"

I nodded my head and smiled reassuringly at Rosalie. Between Esme and Rosalie, Bella didn't lack maternal love and attention. I stepped forward and begun to examine Bella. Her cuts and wounds had been cleaned and tended to. Carmen had no previous knowledge in medicine, so I would have to assume Esme had done it.

Bella's heartbeat was steady, and her vitals were good. "She's alright," I told Rosalie, whose eyes flickered to me in disbelief. I chuckled gently. "No, really, Rose. She's fine. The cuts will heal. And she just fainted from shock…Be sure to tell her Edward's fine when she wakes up."

Rosalie nodded, and went back to watching Bella like a hawk, her lithe fingers moving through Bella's hair gently. There was no doubt that she wouldn't leave Bella's side until she woke up.

When I entered the living room, I saw that Eleazar was laying on the couch, Carmen sitting near his arm as she brushed his hair back tenderly. I didn't need to be an empath like Jasper to know she was worried about him, and alarmed that she had almost lost her mate.

Esme was cleaning up the mess we had made when Eleazar and Edward had been brought into the house. I gave her a kiss on the cheek, held her to me for a brief second, then headed out the door.

I could already see the smoke wafting about three miles away. I rushed towards the smoke and found a huge fire. Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Tanya, Kate and Irina were surrounding the fire, their faces grim.

"Are all of the newborns left behind burnt?" I asked quietly as I stood next to Jasper.

He nodded his head without looking at me. "How are Edward and Eleazar?" he asked.

"Better. They'll recover in a few hours," I said. I could see the relief on all of their faces as I said this.

"And Bella?" Emmett asked, his big brother side kicking into full gear. He, too, had seen Bella fall as she fainted.

At his question, we all turned to Alice. I would have been able to give them a clinical evaluation, but what we really wanted to know was when she would wake up.

She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second before opening them again. "In a few minutes," she said hurriedly. "We should head back. She'll, uh, want to talk," Alice stressed on the word.

I winced a little. I knew that meant that Bella would throw one of her infamous tantrums. It was only understandable-she had gone through something quite traumatic. And seeing Edward like that mustn't have been good for her.

But why on earth was Alice smiling smugly? Why was she looking so gleeful? I opened my mouth to ask her, but she shook her head before a single word escaped my mouth. "You'll just have to see, Carlisle," she sang out, grabbing Jasper's hand and dancing forward faster than the rest of us.

I sighed again and shook my head. Why did I have the feeling that I was going to have a very terrible imaginary vampire headache?

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

We were all crowded in Bella's room…Well, us Cullens were. Kate, Irina and Carmen were waiting on Eleazar. Tanya was in Edward's room.

Esme had been reluctant about leaving her there alone-it was bad enough that her "first son" had had to endure such pain of having his arm ripped off his shoulder. He didn't need to have a vampire heart attack the moment he woke up, as well. But we were worried for Bella. And none of the Denali clan other than Tanya wanted to leave Eleazar's side.

Besides, according to Alice, Bella would be awake in a few minutes, and Edward would still be unconscious for several more hours. And who were we to bet against Alice?

The thing about people was that even when they were unconscious, their feelings didn't take a break. So I could feel the apprehension, anxiety, concern and fear flashing through Bella over and over again. I kept sending calming waves to her in vain hopes but nothing worked. I was in danger of being on emotion overload.

Alice had said that we would want to be here when Bella woke up. Why? She wouldn't say a word. She was incredibly excited about it, though, so I went along with it.

I just wished Bella would open her eyes soon so we could tell her Edward's alright. Maybe then some of the fear would vanish and I wouldn't feel like getting nauseous every few seconds.

I nearly groaned in relief when Bella whimpered a little, shifting on the bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times to adjust to the light. When she saw us all, she was slightly taken aback. Her gaze swept from one face to another. Her eyes filled up with tears all of a sudden, and I wondered why. The grief rolled off of her like a tsunami, and I realized why she was crying.

"No! Bella, Edward's fine," I said quickly. The others quickly realized that this was why she was upset, and smiled at her, too.

Emmett's booming laugh echoed around the room. "Come on, Bella, you can't hurt a vampire!" he chuckled, slapping a huge hand on her back as she sat up on the bed. All of us, including Bella, turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.

He shrugged. "Well, not easily, anyway," he amended.

Bella looked around. "Where is he?" she asked, the panic in her voice evident.

"Resting. In his room-"

I wondered if I should tell her that Tanya was in his room, too. Well, not with his permission…But that was another point altogether.

Faster than she normally moved, Bella threw off the comforter and was out of the bedroom door. She was still slow compared to our vampire speed, but she had never moved this fast before. That threw us off for a moment.

We shared a look, but Alice was already bouncing up and down. "Come on!" she said giddily. "You're going to miss all the fun!"

Curious, we followed Alice at vampire speed. Bella was already in Edward's room. She took in his gaunt expression, and the almost glaringly red scar where his shoulder and arm connected. She knelt next to his head, ignoring Tanya who was sitting on the couch next to Edward. Tanya wasn't as good at ignoring Bella, though, and opened her mouth. Rosalie shot her a withering glare. "I'd suggest you keep your mouth shut, Tanya, if you know what's best for you," she snapped. Tanya looked ready to argue or kill-whichever was more deadly.

Bella either missed this exchange or chose to disregard it. She carefully traced a finger close to where the scar is, making sure that she didn't actually touch it for fear of hurting Edward. "Is that going to be there forever?" she asked softly.

Carlisle stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. I didn't think she even took notice of it. "No, Bella. It'll fade in time. Faster than scars a human would receive, actually. He'd have a faint pink line, but that'll be it," he assured her.

"And he's alright?"

"Yes, he'll wake up in a few hours…Technically, he's not really even asleep. Vampires can't do that, remember?" I chuckled. Bella didn't seem to find this very funny. I stopped and continued. "He's just physically drained. The pain was a lot to handle so-"

Rosalie jabbed my ribs with her elbow and I stopped talking, noticing that a huge flare of pain shot through Bella. Bella sighed, her breath haggard, and rested her head on Edward's other shoulder, closing her eyes. Her arm came down to his waist, hugging him awkwardly from her position.

"Why was he attacked?" Bella asked, eyes still closed. "Was he caught off guard?"

I frowned. I had paired off everyone. They were supposed to have someone with them at all times. It was war-we had to be prepared. I hadn't wanted to take chances and risk someone's life. Who was it that Edward had been paired off with? Kate…

"Kate was partnered with him," I said softly, running over the pairings. Why hadn't Kate search for him? She had come back with everyone else, hadn't she?

Emmett spoke up. "Edward and Kate found me after Rose and I had been separated," he said, his voice grim. "He told her to help me with a newborn and went looking for Tanya-she had been separated from Eleazar."

At this, we all turned to Tanya. I felt embarrassment and regret washing over her, and realized that she had abandoned Edward. She had deliberately left him there. My eyes turned cold. Alice, too, had stopped jumping around in excitement. The grin on her face had vanished. She had seen what Tanya was going to say next.

"A…Newborn came at me," she whispered, eyes flicking guiltily at Edward. "I fought him, but I got distracted. Edward was too caught up in the newborn he was fighting. I hadn't realized it but I had gone a little way away from where Edward was…When I got back, he was already lying there. I kicked the newborn off of him, and gave chase. But I thought…I thought more would come and finish him off. I met Rose, Emmett and Kate after I finished off the newborn and we left…"

We stayed still for a moment. I could hear the rest of the Denali clan downstairs. They, too, were silent, but their emotions betrayed them. They were shocked that Tanya hadn't even gone to check on Edward. She had assumed he was going to die, and left him there. She hadn't even gone back to look for him.

Before any of us could say anything, Bella was already on her feet, her normally kind brown eyes blazing with anger. Tanya actually stepped back. If I weren't so angry, I would have laughed. A vampire, afraid of a human girl.

"You left him there to die?" she asked slowly, her voice laced with anger and disbelief. Each word dripped in venom.

Tanya shook her head, biting her lip. She looked around at all of us, her gaze pleading. But Edward was our family. Her stupidity in the face of war could have cost us a family member. What if Maria hadn't called off her army? What if some newborn had gotten to him first? What if he hadn't just been injured, but killed?

"Rosalie left Eleazar, too!" she shouted in desperation.

Rosalie's eyes widened and she growled. "Eleazar told me to go," she snarled. "We'd taken down two newborns, and he'd told me to go while he burn their bodies. He wanted me to go to Emmett. I didn't know he was in danger. I wouldn't have left if I knew. You, on the other hand-"

Bella had gone right up to Tanya, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed into angry slips, tears dripping down her cheeks. I felt the grief, resentment and disgust rolling off of her in waves.

"Bella…" Esme tried to say, but Bella was beyond comfort.

"Are you insane?" she snapped at Tanya. "What kind of a low-life are you? He would have never just left anyone like that! But you! You followed him around like a sick puppy claiming to be his love and when the time came for you to step through you actually just left him to die!? You vile, disgusting, _worthless _creature!" she screamed.

Tanya's shocked expression gave away to anger. "Listen here, you mortal-"

"Don't you dare talk to me! Don't you dare pretend like you care! Leave!" Bella pointed to the door. As she shouted, tears still rolled down her cheeks ceaselessly.

Tanya scowled. "I'm not going to take the orders of a human," she spat out the word, crossing her arms across her chest.

Bella pursed her lips and spoke in a low, cool voice. Her words had an undertone of anger to it, and I knew she was going to snap very soon. Even I, the military-trained vampire, had chills running down my spine when she spoke.

"Your stupidity has left much to be desired, Tanya. Because you couldn't use your brain to function, Edward could have died. Something else could have happened to him. The fact is, you left him to die. Do you honestly think there is one single person in this house that wants you here? Leave, and don't come back. And don't even think of coming anywhere near him. I might not be able to cause you physical harm yet, Tanya, but they can."

"That's a promise," Emmett boomed, backing up Bella.

Tanya looked around her dejectedly. She had been defeated, and she knew it.

"I'm going to say it one last time. Leave," Bella said, her cold eyes daring Tanya to argue with her.

"I-"

Esme stepped forward, her voice equally hard. "Tanya, the family has gone through a very difficult time. We appreciate what help you have given us. But Bella's right. Your mistake could have been fatal to one of our own. And you're upsetting my daughter. Please, leave. If you insist on staying behind to be with your family, I won't object, but please refrain from coming into this room or anywhere near my son and daughter," she waved at Bella and Edward.

Tanya bit her lip and nodded her head curtly once. She left the room so fast I barely saw it. Her scent grew fainter by the second and I knew she had left the house.

For a moment, everything was quiet. Then Emmett broke the silence, clapping a hand on Bella's back. "Bella," he said, in awe. "You just dissed a vampire…" He looked around at the rest of us who looked equally amazed and proud. "That was just cool."

"Yeah, about time someone told her off," Rosalie muttered, though she had a big grin on her face.

"Good going, angel," Alice squealed, jumping around to hug Bella.

Bella broke out of Alice's embrace after a moment, and went back to her original position on the floor, hugging Edward by the waist with an arm, her head on his shoulder.

The rest of us left the room and went down to the living room. Eleazar was still unconscious on the couch. Carmen and Kate looked at us as we came down. Carmen looked abashed and Kate looked repentant.

Carmen stood up to greet us. "I'm sorry…He's still out of it, and I didn't want to interrupt his healing process," she said in a rush. "We'll leave if you insist…"

Carlisle shook his head. "Don't be silly, Carmen. None of us are angry at you. We're just in a sore spot with Tanya at the moment."

Rosalie snorted and Esme shot her a glare. Kate laughed, though. "I know what you mean. Tanya's always been a spoilt brat. I just can't believe she would do that…" she shook her head in disbelief. Then she shot us a grin. "But kudos to Bella, huh?"

We laughed, and sat around. Eleazar soon stirred, and woke. We knew Edward was going to do the same soon. But Bella would want some time with him alone first. We'd just stay in the living room for a while.

I looked at Carmen in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Carmen," I nodded in Eleazar's direction. "This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me."

I had expected her to yell at me, and tell me that I was right. What I didn't expect her to do was laugh. And laugh she did. "It wasn't your fault who changed you. She was a part of your past, Jasper. And we are friends. It was our responsibility as friends to help you. You would have done the same for us," she smiled warmly at me, then at the rest of us. "Thank you for helping save Eleazar," she said, directing this at Carlisle and I.

We waved away her gratitude. No matter what she said, it was because of me that Eleazar had been hurt. It was because of me that Edward had been hurt. And it was because of me that Bella nearly had a panic attack.

I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head against the back of the loveseat I was sitting on. Alice curled up closer next to me, planting kisses along my jaw every now and then.

I was glad everything was alright again. And I was glad that Edward seemed to finally come around. I just hoped that things would be for the better now.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I couldn't have moved if I tried. My body was still numb from the pain. The good news was that I could somewhat feel my arm attached to my shoulder again. Carlisle had fixed me. In a few hours, I'd 'wake up' good as new.

I had heard Carlisle and Jasper explaining to Bella my 'condition'. I wanted more than anything to tell her I was fine. I could hear it in the way her voice wavered, thick with tears, that she was extremely worried for me. My dead heart just about swelled with emotion at this.

I hoped Jasper didn't sense that…He'd tease me about it endlessly if he did.

I felt Bella's warm head on my good shoulder, and her hand reached across my chest and hugging me by the waist. If I could have moved or made a sound, my breath would have hitched from the sensation. Her warm hand felt so incredibly amazing against my cold skin.

I wondered what it would be like between us now. I knew I had to explain to her why I had been so distant. It had been sixteen months, after all. It couldn't just go by without an explanation. And knowing Bella, she would force it out of me. I would have to tell her the truth.

But did I really want to go so far as to tell her that she was my love? Yes, I seemed to have accepted the fact that she would be my future mate. I found myself thinking of being with her, holding her to me, making her laugh and smile.

I still wished she didn't have to sacrifice her humanity, but it would shatter this family if she were to leave. It would shatter me.

So that was what I'd tell her. I wouldn't want to tell her so soon, not when Alice had said that she would be mine by the time she was seventeen. I would have to wait 'til then. A year and a half. I could wait for that long. What was eighteen months compared to an eternity?

The pain became more and more focused on my arm. The dull throb became increasingly insistent. I waited with bated breath for it to fade, for my arm to heal. Because I was a vampire, I healed faster. The venom in my body acted as a catalyst for my body to repair itself. Ironic how the venom was deadly to any other being but was actually beneficial to me.

Finally, the searing pain lessened until I was able to open my eyes. I gasped, moving slightly. This alerted Bella that I was awake. Her head shot up from my shoulder and I instantly missed her warmth. Her hands flew to either side of my face and she hovered over me, careful not to touch me or my arm.

"Edward!" she cried, her eyes searching my face and body for any sign of injury. I chuckled slightly. The pain was almost gone. I was nearly as good as new. "Are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded my head, shifting slightly again. Her hands dropped from my face and rested on my chest. If I had been human, I would be blushing red right about now. "Yes, I'm fine," I managed to croak out, my brain focused on the feel of her soft, warm hands on my marble chest.

One hand came up to brush at my hair. "You don't _sound _fine," she said critically, eyeing me like a hawk. It was as if she was waiting for some undeniable proof that I wasn't fine to pop out of nowhere.

"But I am, Bella," I said firmly. Reaching out with my good arm, I wrapped her in an embrace and pulled her on top of me.

Bella giggled a little, then raised herself off of me. "Edward, your arm!" she gasped, biting her lip as she looked at it.

I laughed, then raised my previously injured arm. It stung a little, but other than that, it was fine. Bella's eyes widened at this, and she looked back into my eyes with her chocolate orbs. "I told you I was fine," I teased, wrapping both my arms around her now and holding her to me. She was now lying on top of me, her head resting in the crook of my neck.

I eyed her arms, her neck, and her face in alarm. "Bella!" I gasped. "What…Happened to you?" There were cuts covering her skin everywhere! Had she been attacked, as well? "Are you alright? Do you need medical help? Where's Carlisle? Carlisle!" I yelled

Bella waved her hand at me to calm me. She clamped a hand over my mouth and glared. "I'm fine, Edward," she said. "You didn't have to start panicking…Sheesh, Edward! Carlisle, I'm okay," she said in a normal tone.

When she finally took her hand away from my mouth, I glared right back and gestured to the cuts. "What. Happened?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Bella blushed, and bit her lip. She looked hesitant to tell me. I rolled my eyes. "Bella," I said impatiently.

She sighed and shrugged. "A newborn attacked in my room," she said finally. I tensed, my jaw clenching in anger. I had left her here to be safe, to be kept away from the madness of the battle. And she had been attacked instead?

Bella saw the subtle changes in me, and raised a hand to caress my jaw. I blinked down at her, and gradually relaxed, my jaw unclenching. Bella smiled, and dropped her hand. I almost sighed aloud at that. Was it wrong of me to want her touch?

"It's _fine_, Edward," she said. For a brief, panic-filled moment, I thought she had answered my unspoken question. Then I realized that she was assuring me of the attack. I nodded, waiting for her to go on. "Esme and Carmen took care of her."

I gently brushed my cold fingers along her bare arms, lightly grazing her cuts. She winced slightly and I retracted. "Then why the cuts?" I asked quietly.

"She broke through the window and I got hit by glass," she said nonchalantly. I stared in horror. She was making it sound like it was something casual that had happened. Had being with us jeopardized her life so much that she had started getting used to it?

Bella laughed at my expression. "Really, Edward, Lilly's worst than me. Her tail's all crooked now."

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Bella to care more about the cat than her own safety.

Bella sighed again, and wrapped an arm around my neck. She rested her head in the crook of my neck, careful not to touch my injured arm. It didn't even hurt anymore, but she didn't know that. It felt nice to be cared for like that. I had been indestructible for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to be treated like a breakable doll.

If it had been anyone else, I would have felt insulted.

With Bella, I just felt loved.

I knew I should say something about how I had been acting around her, and how I was sorry. But I couldn't do it. I was too ashamed, and too afraid that she wouldn't forgive me and take me back. I remembered us hugging and making plans before I had to leave for the ambush, but that was in the face of danger. Bella might have been influenced by it all.

So I took the cowardly way out. "So Tanya's a worthless, disgusting creature, huh?" I asked, shifting us so that I was sitting instead of lying down, and Bella was seated on my lap.

She pulled back and looked at me, blushing. "You heard that, huh?" she whispered, her gaze dropping to her lap, her free hand picking at the fabric of her clothes. I chuckled, nodding my head. Just like my emotions, my thoughts, my hearing, my senses all didn't halt either. Only my body was too numb to move.

Bella was still averting her gaze, and I frowned. Why was this? "I'm sorry I went off on her," she said, a gentle finger tracing intricate patterns on her thigh. I imagined taking that gentle hand in mine and caressing her soft skin.

"I'm not," I said sincerely. Tanya really did deserve it. Not only for turning her back on me during the battle, but also for being so insolent to Bella. I had only been pleasant to her in the past year to give Bella a misinterpretation. Now that I had realized my mistake, I shuddered to even think of her anywhere near me.

Bella looked up at me, her beautiful brown eyes wide in shock. "You don't?" she asked, puzzled.

I laughed again at the incredulous tone she had said that, and leaned forward, burying my face in her strawberry-scented hair. I had missed that. I had missed being with her. The pain, the fear, the dread I had felt during the brief battle…It had been enough to set my priorities straight.

Yes, I was terrified of what was to come. I was terrified that Bella would wake up to her new life having forgotten me, or if she'd remember but hate me for what I would do to her. I would be taking away her life, her humanity. I was afraid.

But I was in love with her. Already. Love didn't have some sort of timeline. I realized she was only fifteen, but Romeo and Juliet had an age difference, too, didn't they? I winced internally. Alright, the star-crossed lovers might not be such a good example.

All I meant was that I loved her. I couldn't survive without her. If she were to leave me, or if I were torn from her somehow, I'd never recover. I'd go straight to the Volturi and ask for my death.

I _was _terrified. But I wasn't going to run anymore.

I would be right here, waiting until the time was right for us to be together. I would be right here waiting for my Bella, my love.

I didn't answer her question-it was obvious that I wasn't upset by her outburst. I felt strangely happy that she had stood up for me. I had to admit, even her little kitten temper was impressive when she had lashed out like that.

"I've missed you," I mumbled into her hair, my arms wrapping tightly around her. Bella gasped as she was pressed further into me. I pulled back ever so slightly, not allowing her to escape my embrace. I searched her face. Was she reluctant to be with me? Did she want to be away from me?

Her face only registered surprise, and a little hint of bashfulness. I smiled, reaching up to stroke her cheek with the back of a gentle finger. She stopped breathing for a moment, her eyelids fluttering close. "I'm so sorry, Bella," I whispered. At this, her eyes snapped open again. She stared at me, head tilted to the side, a curious look on her face. I realized that she had no idea what I was referring to.

I sighed. It was time to tell her the truth-half of it, anyway. "I was just…Obsessed with finding a way to change the outcome of the deal with Aro," I begun. "I didn't want you to be damned to an existence like mine. I…I thought you'd hate me once it happened," I admitted.

Bella stared at me as if I had grown another head. "How could you even think that, Edward?" she asked. I could detect the anger behind her words. "You mean to tell me you spent a year avoiding me because of this?"

I nodded my head slowly, biting my bottom lip. It was a habit I had picked up from Bella. She did this whenever she was anxious or worried about something. Exactly how I felt at the moment.

"Edward!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "This was _my _choice. Even if Aro hadn't decided to show up, I would have pestered you until you gave in," she told me matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't have given in if you had pestered me for a millennia," I retorted back.

She gazed at me with such intensity, her brown eyes seemed almost black to me for a second. I stayed still, captivated. "Are you saying you'd rather have me die?" she asked bluntly. "Than have to spend eternity with me around?"

My hold on her tightened. "Bella!" I gasped, shocked that she would even say such a thing. "How could you even think that?" I repeated her earlier question.

She shrugged. "It's one or the other, Edward. You either want me around or you don't. You can't have both," she told me.

And she was right. I couldn't have it both ways. But how was I supposed to choose? Was I supposed to give in to my more selfish side? Or was I supposed to put her first? I sighed, closing my eyes momentarily. Immediately, I ached to see her, so my eyes fluttered open to gaze into her brown orbs.

"Bella," I sighed her name. "I don't know what to say, which to choose. If I were to be selfish, I'd say I want you around for forever. I never want you to leave. I never want to see the day when we'd have to say our goodbyes. This family would crumble if you were gone. I would lose my reason for living…For years, Bella, you have been the one to keep all of us together. You may not realize it, but you're the reason. How could you even say that I don't want you around? Of course I do. The selfish side of me can't wait until you become one of us finally," I said.

Then I pulled her closer again, and buried my face in her neck, breathing in her scent-freesia and strawberries-deeply. "But," I mumbled, speaking with my lips against her neck. "I have to put you first. I have to think of your wants, and your needs. I can't just give in like that. You deserve every happiness in the world, Bella," my voice cracked.

Every happiness in the world. Would that include a different man? Would that include a different life? Would she really want that? Did she?

Bella pulled back so she could look into my eyes. "Edward," she said, wrapping both her arms around my neck now. "If you really want to put me first, then let go of the idea of my staying human," she said. I stared at her, surprised.

"I don't want it. Staying human would mean that I'd have to give you up. It would mean that I wouldn't have you guys as my family. I would never want that." She smiled warmly at me.

"Do you think you're the only one who would lose a reason to live if I wasn't a part of the family anymore? I couldn't even imagine it, Edward. I don't ever want it to become a reality."

Bella frowned suddenly, her eyes sad. "Promise me," she whispered. "Promise me you'll never leave me. Promise me you'll never abandon me…I can't do it again, Edward." Her beautiful eyes were filled with pain.

I could only assume that she was talking about the time we had spent apart. Even though we'd lived in the same house, I had been so distant…In a way, she had lost me for a year. It had hurt her, too, I knew.

I gripped her tighter, one hand coming up to tangle in her hair. "I promise," I whispered back. "I'm so sorry, Bella…It pained me to be away from you. I just thought it was necessary. I'm sorry I'd been so stupid about this. Will you ever forgive me?"

I wouldn't be surprised if she told me no. I had caused her so much pain. I had seen her in pain, and yet I had continued with my charade just because I had been too stubborn to accept the truth. How could she even begin to forgive me and take me back?

Bella surprised me by ducking her head against my shoulder, and blushing. "Only if you forgive me for messing up your Volvo," she squeaked, her voice coming out muffled because her mouth was pressed into my hard shoulder.

I stared down at her in shock. A few days ago, my Volvo had started going all wrong. The engine didn't go faster than 60. The radio stations were all in Chinese. Every time I turned pressed down on the brake, the windscreen wipers would start moving back and forth and the horn wouldn't stop blaring unless I turned off the engine.

"_You _did that?" I asked, still in shock. Bella nodded her head weakly. "How?" I managed to splutter.

"Rosalie was teaching me about cars…She said she wanted me to learn how to take care of my own car when I get my driver's license," she explained in a rush. She was still blushing hard. "I just got mad at you and decided to take it out on your stupid Volvo."

I was silent for a few moments and Bella never looked up. When I was finally able to wrap my head around the fact that my sweet, innocent, angelic Bella had actually done that to my car, I burst out laughing.

Her head shot up, as if she hadn't expected it at all. Of course, if it had been anyone else, I would have roared like a hungry lion by now and chased them all the way to Quebec. "I suppose I deserved that," I said, once I had calmed down enough to speak.

Bella broke into the most glorious smile I'd ever seen. "So I'm forgiven?"

I nodded my head, leaning forward to press my cool lips against her warm forehead. "I'm just glad I have my best friend back," I sighed against her skin, and pulled back. She was still smiling at me. How I'd missed seeing her smile like that. And because of _me_, too.

I couldn't be happier.

And then Emmett had to interrupt. "Well, if you're done," he cracked with laughter, bursting into the room. He was followed by five abashed vampires. Well, four. Alice really couldn't contain her excitement enough to be repentant. "Gee, Bella, you didn't need to give him a lap dance, you know?" he joked.

Bella flushed a deep crimson and crawled off my lap, settling instead next to me. She was blushing so hard I could still feel the heat coming off her face. I glared at Emmett, but he was still grinning too widely to be bothered.

"So…" she sang out. "How's everybody?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're fine, Alice."

_You're in love with her! You're in love with her! Oh, this is wonderful! We have to go shopping to commemorate this special occasion!_

I disguised my laughter, pretending I was coughing instead. No one bought that, but they decided to let it go. I had been known to react to the silly thoughts of my family before.

Bella wouldn't be too happy about having to go shopping, but Alice was right. This was a special occasion. Bella might not know how I felt about her yet, and she might not even feel the same way. Yet. But it was still a special event, anyway.

And maybe there was something we could do together to celebrate. I'd just tell her it was to celebrate our victory and the reinstatement of our friendship.

I knew it wasn't time to tell Bella. No one should actually reveal it to her. She had to find out in her own time so she could accept the idea. I would be there when she realized it, just like in Alice's vision.

Right now, though, I was content being her best friend, her protector, her secret love.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Again, I apologize for the writer's block. I do appreciate all of the reviews. I really do want to know what you think of my interpretation of vampires and healing/injuries. SM never really did specified, and this was just my take on it. I hoped it wasn't too ridiculous._

_It's just one more chapter before they move to Forks, but a few more chapters before Bella gets a boyfriend. The poll will be open for a few more days, I suppose. Remember about being able to vote for 3 choices, so if you haven't already made you choice, please do so._

_ArchiezCullen reminded me of something and I wanted to know your opinion. Is it believable that they would come across another vampire in Forks? I thought about it and I was fifty-fifty on the subject…What do you think??_

_I just wanted to clear some things up:_

_Maria was freed because she was pretty important. And her army was very huge in Europe. Killing her would have sparked a war the Cullens didn't want anything to do with. As long as she was away from them, they were happy._

_Eleazar was originally supposed to die. He was supposed to get ripped off to shreds and burned, but then again, this was a newborn we were talking about. A crazed newborn who probably didn't have a lighter or the common sense to build a fire. So I thought being severely injured is good enough for him. I like Carmen too much to do too much damage to her love, anyway._

_To Lani aka Bubbles and dkanp, thank you. I didn't think I did a very good job with the fight scenes, so I'm glad you enjoyed them._

_To Sonneuntergang, you'll understand why ExB won't be together yet in the next chapter. Mainly, it's because I want to drag it out a bit. LOL. Kidding. Bella also needs to be able to understand it. Edward has more or less comes to term with it, now it's Bella's turn. She won't just full on accept it, of course._

_To IntoTheLiquidTopaz, LOL. No, I didn't. I've already watched Twilight online. I'm just waiting for it to come out on DVD so I can catch all the Edward-y goodness in the privacy of my own home…Is that too creepy??_

_To QueenieSilver, whip cream and trap doors? I'd have to think of something, but sure, why not? We need more pranks, anyway._

_Review and tell me what you think, eh?? Next chapter will be focused on Edward and Bella._

_Juliet._


	27. I Love You

_**A/N:**__ Hey, guys. Here's the next one. Bella's still 15 yrs and 6 months old here. Next chapter will be when she's in Forks._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

It has been five days since Maria's visit. Carlisle had contacted Aro, against Esme's wishes might I add, to inform him of Maria' plans of war in Europe. Aro would be very interested in that.

I had to agree with Carlisle-even though we wanted as little contact with the Volturi as possible, they would probably eliminate Maria for us. Her plan was too risky. They had learnt that the first time she began a war.

I was already as good as new, of course. My strength had returned to me fully, especially after my two days hunting trip with Emmett and Jasper. I had been reluctant to leave Bella's side after all that has happened, but she urged me to go. She had told me that she wanted me to get better soon.

It was strange, really, being fussed about by someone other than my mother, human or otherwise.

Bella would come to see me the first thing every morning, and right before she went to bed. She kept asking if I was doing alright. And even after I had assured her, she would sneak looks at me whenever she thought I wasn't aware of it. The first twenty four hours after I woke up, she wouldn't even let me walk. I found it amusing and endearing at the same time.

Like I said, it has been five days. I had not only walked, but hunted and even wrestled with Emmett. I was better than fully healed.

In my book, that meant that it was the perfect time to bring Bella to my 'surprise'. I had wanted to have one special day with her, just to show her how much I missed her and cared for her.

I couldn't really tell her how much I loved her yet. I had asked Alice, and she'd told me now wasn't the right time. Bella would be upset and confused if it came out now. So I would settle for being her best friend only for now.

I wanted to take her to the Reflection Pond at Mt. McKinley. I always sat there after a hunt, just to think. Ironic, considering the name.

My point was, the thought of Bella there with me had always crossed my mind. I wanted her to see the beauty of the place, especially near sunset. She would love it. And now that it was spring was here, the wildflowers were starting to bloom. I had to take her there.

Alice was blocking her thoughts from me again. My fingers stopped working on the piano keys, and I stood up from the bench. As I turned around to go up the stairs, I heard Alice singing a Britney Spears song. Of all the things in the world.

_I'm like the ringleader, I call the shots. I'm like a firecracker, I make it hot. When I put on a show_-

I threw her a dirty glare, but she only smiled widely at me. Her innocent look didn't fool me for a second.

"Just go, Edward," she said, laughing. She turned her head away and leaned into Jasper on the couch as they watched the TV. Softer, for my ears only, she said, "She'll love it."

I smiled to myself as I made a mad dash up the stairs. I stopped outside Bella's room, took in a deep breath and knocked. I heard Bella's muffled voice calling me to come in. I turned the knob in my hand and stepped inside.

Bella was on her bed, her hand flying across the pages of the papers in front of her. I could only assume that she was doing her homework. She had been extremely busy lately with her schoolwork.

It was nearing March, and the school semester was going to be over in a few months. That meant that examinations were on the horizon. While that didn't bother me nor my siblings since we had gone through school a million times, it was different for Bella. This would, also, be the first time she would sit for finals in high school.

I smiled at her as I went to sit by the bed. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and concerned. I knew what she was going to ask before she even opened her mouth. "Bella, I'm fine," I laughed. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

I wished she _would _worry about me. I liked it that she cared for me like that. I loved that she wanted to take care of me.

Bella smiled slightly, and closed her book, pushing it away. It fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a loud 'thud' but Bella didn't even flinch. She stretched and flipped over so that she was lying on her back. She looked at me upside down, and I grinned.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" I asked.

Bella's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "A walk?" she asked. I nodded my head. "Where?" She had flipped over again, and was cradling her face in her hands as she looked at me curiously.

I shook my head. I had fallen for her angelic looks one too many times. I think Alice taught her how to use it to her advantage. That little pixie.

But this was going to be a surprise. I wanted her to be amazed by the panoramic view, and I wasn't going to ruin it for her now. "It's a surprise," I teased, saying the very words Bella detested.

As predicted, she groaned and dropped her head. I laughed. "Edward!" she said, her voice muffled because she was speaking directly into the mattress. "You _know _you can't say that to me…Now I _have _to know!"

She looked up and gave me a pleading look with her beautiful eyes. The depth of her brown eyes shocked me even after all these years. I wanted nothing more than to just look at them all night and figure out everything there was to know about her. She might be my best friend but sometimes I felt like she was such a mystery to me.

I shook myself out of my stupor and smiled wickedly, leaning forward. "Then you'll just _have _to come with me," I whispered.

For a moment, Bella looked…Strange. Her eyes glazed over, her mouth hung open and her breathing quickened. She blinked a few times, blushed and looked away. Then she looked back at me, cheeks still painted red, bit her lip and nodded.

I smiled, standing up and taking her hand in mine. "Let's go, Bella." She didn't hesitate for even a single second as she stood up. I swung her on my back and she gasped, her arms tightening around my neck. We hadn't done this in a very long time. A year and a half to be exact.

I rushed to the window, flung it open and was racing towards Mount McKinley before she could even blink or catch her breath. Bella pressed her cheek to mine. I felt her smile, and saw that her eyes were wide open in my peripheral vision.

I chuckled to myself. Bella used to squeeze her eyes shut and wished for the ride to be over when she was younger. Over time, she had gotten used to riding on my back as I ran. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she enjoyed it now.

I had to admit that running like this made me feel free. If Bella could feel the same thing, if she enjoyed the freedom as much as I did, then it made me all the more happier.

Finally, we reached Reflection Pond. I reached around and untangled Bella from my back. The one thing that hasn't changed was how shaky she felt after a run like that. I watched with amusement as she grasped at my arms to keep herself steady.

When she was done, I reluctantly let go of her and lowered myself to the ground. Bella followed suit and settled on the grass next to me. We had a panoramic view of the mountain behind us, and the pond in front of us. A smile flitted across her soft features, and I grinned.

"Do you like it here?" I asked her quietly.

Bella drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin on top of her folded arms and turned to look at me. Her smile widened and she nodded her head. "It's beautiful here," she whispered. "Thank you for bringing me."

I shrugged. She was thanking me? What for? I felt so wonderfully calm for the first time in a long time, and it was all because she was right next to me. All this time, I had felt like a part of me was missing, as if it had been ripped off of me.

This place had always been my place to think. Alone. Even Emmett didn't try and bother me if I was here. I had never brought anyone here with me before. If I had known that bringing Bella here would have made me so happy, I would have done so a long time ago.

Bella let a sigh escape her lips. I merely stared at her, and those strawberry lips. I caught myself and looked away. _Could you be any more ungentlemanly, Edward? _I berated myself silently.

"Are you sure we won't run into anyone here?" she asked me, raising an eyebrow at me. I turned to look at her, confused. Bella chuckled, and took my hand, tracing circles on the inside of my wrist. I was so caught up with the action, with her soft, warm fingers on my own cold, hard skin that I forgot her question.

Then I realized it-my skin. The sun was almost setting now, but there was still a faint glimmer on my skin. I wasn't sparkling brightly like I would have during a clear day, but if a human were to stumble across us, I would still be somewhat glowing.

I smiled and shook my head. "I would hear their thoughts within a hundred miles," I told her. "All I hear is silence, so we're perfectly alone."

Why does that sent shivers down my spine?

Bella looked out into the horizon, her fingers absentmindedly playing with my hand she had placed on her lap. "Do you come here often, Edward?" she murmured, smiling as a gentle breeze blew across her face.

I watched her, entranced. "Yes," I stuttered. I took a deep breath and continued smoothly, "I come here after a hunt, normally, just to think. It's very peaceful here."

Bella nodded in agreement, her curious eyes taking in the entire place. She peeked over her shoulder at the mountain behind us. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked. I frowned. Did she wish I hadn't? Seeing my confused frown, she added quickly, "I'm glad you did." I smiled in relief. "I just want to know why…"

I was silent for a moment as I contemplated this. Why had I brought her here? _Because I love you._ "I…" I struggled to find the right words. "I just wanted to show you this place. It's quite special to me, like the meadow back in Forks. You're-you're my best friend, Bella," I said.

It hurt not to say 'You're mine. You're my lover, my mate, my everything' when that was all that I could think of.

"I know I acted like an idiot for a long time. I just wanted to make it up to you, and to tell you I'm sorry, and make up for lost time," I finished. I couldn't look at her now. I wondered if she saw right through me. I wondered if she knew there was more to the story that meets the eye.

I felt something soft on my cheek. It lingered there for a few seconds. The most breathtaking scent I had ever smelled in my life overtook me. Freesia and strawberries. I turned to look at Bella, who was blushing hard.

She had kissed me on the cheek.

I fought the urge to touch the warm spot on my cheek. _And _the urge to pull her to me, and kiss her properly-on the lips. I didn't think I could really do that, despite Alice's vision. Not even when she was seventeen. She was human. My venom would kill her if she accidentally got a taste of it. I could hurt her simply by kissing her.

I wanted to say something. Maybe ask her why she kissed me on the cheek. Or thank her. Or tell her I loved her. Instead, I smiled, my fingers intertwining with hers on its own accord.

Bella was still blushing so I looked away to give her space to calm down.

I looked out at the glittering water. Sunset was thirty five minutes away, more or less. I wanted her to watch it. I doubted that I would be able to do this with her in Forks. At least not in the open like this.

I remembered wanting to take Bella swimming in the pond. She had become quite fond of swimming. Emmett was the one who started teaching her back in London. She had been infatuated with it ever since.

I pulled my hand from Bella's and stood up. She frowned up at me. "Are we leaving already?" she asked sadly, pouting at me.

I chuckled because I knew this was merely a way for her to get what she wanted. She used it on me, and everyone else for that matter, constantly. Rosalie and Alice had been an influence on her. Good or bad, I had no clue.

But I didn't say anything because this meant that she wanted to stay here longer. The fact that she loved it here made me feel incredible exuberant.

I shook my head. "No, Bella," I smiled. "I thought we could go for a swim."

Bella's eyes widened, and she smiled. Behind the excited glimmer in her eyes, I detected a hint of wariness. "Do you not want to?" I asked, concerned that I might be forcing her to do something she didn't want to do.

She nodded her head, and stood up as well. "No, I want to," she said quickly. "I just…I don't have a bathing suit with me," she mumbled, blushing again.

I laughed, shrugging off my jacket. "It's alright. You could change into my shirt and jacket once we're done. I won't get cold, and the house is only a few minutes from here with our _transportation_," I winked.

Bella laughed, relaxing. I reached for the buttons of my shirt and shrugged it off as well. When I looked up, Bella's eyes were fixed on my pale chest. She blinked rapidly, her mouth hanging open.

I felt a smirk pulling at the corners of my lips. "Did you see something you liked?" I couldn't help but tease.

Bella's head shot up and her eyes met mine. She turned so red, it was almost purple. I laughed, and tilted my head towards the water. "Let's dive in."

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Edward pulled me towards the glittering water. I tried my best to keep my eyes on the water, the grass, the mountain behind us…Anything but on him. Had it always been this weird to see him shirtless?

Well, I'd only seen it a few times, and that was a long time ago. I saw it the first time Emmett took me swimming. I was seven. Another time when he wanted to show me how he glittered. I was still seven.

I'd never seen him like this when I was nearly sixteen…

I caught myself. What did it matter how old I was? Edward was still Edward. My sarcastic vampire best friend. Nothing else.

I was just caught up in being with him again. That must be it.

I had missed him a lot during the time we were apart. I could understand why he avoided me now but I still couldn't help but think that it was uncalled for. The decision had been made.

Truthfully, scared as I was when I thought of the first year of being a vampire when the thirst for blood would be unbearable, I was happy that I would get to spend eternity with Edward and the others. I knew that the Cullens would never allow me to harm a human, or go out of control. If I had them with me, I would have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Edward should have seen that. He should have understood that I wanted nothing more than my best friend to be with me through it all.

But I didn't blame him. Edward was very protective of me, ever since we first met. I would have been surprised if he _hadn't _tried to protect me from this, too. He viewed himself a monster. He couldn't fool me, I knew he still felt that way. He wouldn't have wanted me to go through the same thing, I supposed.

I just wanted him to see himself clearly-a wonderful man with a beautiful family and a great life. He saved me. He wasn't a monster. He was a hero. He was _my _hero. I hoped someday I would get through to him.

When we neared the water, Edward scooped me up into his arms in blinding speed. I shrieked, surprised, and he laughed, running at vampire speed towards the pond. He swiftly proceeded to jump in. As I broke the surface, I gasped, shaking the water from my face as I brushed my wet hair from my eyes.

Edward surfaced next to me, grinning widely. I smacked him on the arm. "Edward!" I yelled. He only chuckled at me before ducking back under the water.

I followed suit, giving chase to him in the water. Sometimes he used vampire speed, frustrating me when he would suddenly appear in front of me only to materialize behind me a second later. Sometimes he used human speed and allowed me to catch him.

Finally, exhausted, I swam back to dry land. Edward followed me, and I collapsed on the grass. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the evening breeze on my face. I opened my eyes to find Edward standing over me, his mouth hanging open.

I lifted myself slightly, resting my weight on my elbows. "Edward?" I called out worriedly. "Are you alright?"

He cleared his throat, and dropped down next to me. He handed me his jacket. "Do you want to put this on?" he asked, not looking in my direction.

I frowned, taking his jacket confusedly. Was there something wrong? I looked down at myself and blushed.

My clothes were completely soaked through. My jeans were a darker color now and I could see grass in certain places. My shirt, however, was another matter. It clung to my body wetly, though it certainly didn't look alluring in any way. It just looked messy and rumpled.

I slipped on his jacket and wrapped it tightly around myself, noticing a sudden chill. I sat up and wriggled into a more comfortable position.

"Bella," Edward called out. I turned to look at him, to find that he was still shirtless. I blushed and looked down at my lap. "Are you sure you don't want to change into my shirt?" he asked. "Yours must be too cold for comfort."

I nodded my head. It was fine like this. I didn't mind it that much. We lived in Alaska, for God's sake. I could stand the cold just fine.

When I looked back up, Edward had already put on his shirt and buttoned it up. He turned to me and smiled. "Another reason I brought you here was to watch the sunset," he said, nodding towards the horizon. I turned my head and watched in silence, as did Edward.

Sunset over the Reflection Pond was beautiful. It glowed the softest orange, and for a moment I thought a rainbow had come out. The sky darkened further until the sun completely disappeared. I wasn't bothered, though. I loved the night sky in Alaska.

"Do you want to go home?" Edward asked. He, too, was comfortable where he was. I could tell. So I shook my head and continued to gaze out at the landscape.

I turned to look at Edward and smiled at him. "This was really nice," I told him. "I'm glad we spent today together."

He smiled widely at me and for a moment, my heart stopped beating. Was this a natural reaction?

I'd seen him dazzle women before-flight attendants, hotel managers, hostesses at the restaurants we went to…It seemed like dazzling people was a family trait in the Cullen household.

So was being dazzled by Edward something that came naturally to someone over the edge of fifteen?

I shook my head imperceptibly. Dazzling? What on earth was wrong with me? This was _Edward_! _Get a grip, Bella!_

He leaned forward and bumped into my shoulder with his own. "Me, too," he whispered. I blinked, breathing in the sweet scent of him. I would never get enough of that.

Again, there I go! I felt like screaming at myself. I really was going insane, wasn't I?

I sighed, moving closer to Edward and laying my head on his shoulder. I felt him stiffen momentarily before his arm encircled my waist.

Why did my heart started fluttering around like crazy?

I saw the faded pink scar on his other shoulder, running along the entire joint where his shoulder met his arm. I winced internally as I thought of how he had been hurt. I hated that he had been injured in the first place, that he's had to suffer through the pain.

I reached forward and ran a light finger along the faint pink line. It contrasted against his pale marble skin. I felt him shudder at my touch and looked up to gaze at him right in the eyes. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt anymore?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

I was so worried that he might not be fully healed. According to Carlisle _and _Jasper _and _Edward _and _Esme, he shouldn't feel a single thing from it. He couldn't even rip the stitches because his venom had not only heal him completely, it had also dissolved the thread.

I still couldn't help being concerned over him.

Edward smiled right back at me, but I saw the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Of course it doesn't, Bella," he said innocently. Too innocently. I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he up to?

"If it still hurt, how could I do _this_!?" he yelled out the last word, and reached forward to tickle my side.

I gasped with laughter, falling behind to lie flat on the grass, wriggling as his fingers moved up and down my sides and along my stomach. I really shouldn't have told him I was ticklish…Who knew he would still use it against me after all this time?

"Edward!" I gasped out, grasping at the front of his shirt. He ignored me, and chuckled as he continued his torment. "Edward! Stop!" I giggled, rolling around on the grass, my eyes snapping close. My stomach ached from laughing too hard.

I opened my eyes when he finally stopped tickling me. He was directly over me, holding himself up by the elbows as he smiled down at me. He was two inches away from me, water from his marble chest dripping onto the jacket he had given me, water from his hair falling onto my forehead and my hair.

"Do you believe me now?" he teased.

His cool, sweet breath hit me like a ton of breath. I sucked in a huge breath, taking in his scent like an addict. My eyes fell on his scar one last time.

I didn't know what possessed me to do it. I didn't know if it was merely because I had missed him so much. I didn't know if it was because of all the horrible things that had happened recently. I didn't know if I was just plain crazy.

I reached up slightly, and brushed my lips against the pink scar. His chest stopped heaving as he ceased to breathe. His eyes had darkened considerably. At first I thought it was because he was thirsty, or it was the trick of my eyes.

My head fell back to the soft ground. Edward lifted a finger and wiped off a droplet of water that had fallen onto my cheek. His fingers left a burning trail. I closed my eyes at his touch, sighing slightly. My body reacted before my mind did, and I blushed in embarrassment.

When my eyes fluttered open once more, Edward was much closer that he had been before. His eyes were barely an inch from mine. I gazed into the deep pools of topaz, piercing me so strongly I felt shivers running down my body.

"Edward," I whispered, shaking fingers gripping the front of his shirt tighter. I might actually rip it from the sheer strength I held onto it.

Our lips were too close. If he or I moved, our lips would collide. I didn't think either one of us realized it was happening until it actually happened.

I felt his hard lips over my own, and my eyes widened. What was I doing? Kissing Edward? _Edward!? _This was wrong. This was a terrible thing. This was just…Wrong!

But it felt good. It felt wonderful. It felt…Like home. His wonderful, addicting scent was in my mouth now. I tasted it, swallowed it, inhaled it.

Edward froze for a fraction of a second, but he unfroze before I could scramble away. I felt his hand coming up to tangle in my hair, the way it had five days ago when we made up. For the briefest moment, I felt a gentle pressure against my lips.

I tore my lips away from his and scrambled away, gasping. It had felt so amazing to kiss him, and it felt so…Empty without his mouth moving against mine.

But honestly, what was I thinking? Edward…He was beautiful. He was gifted, and perfect, and everything every single girl in the world would want in their ideal man.

And he wasn't mine.

This was a mistake. He would see that. I already saw the confusion and sadness in his eyes. The regret. He hated the fact that we had kissed. He didn't want me like that.

I shouldn't be surprised.

What on earth was I saying?? I sounded upset that he didn't want me or like me like that. I _shouldn't _be upset. I didn't have feelings for Edward like that. He was my best friend, my everything. But he was still Edward. I was still Bella. We were nothing more.

For some unknown reason, I felt a strange kind of sadness surge through me at the absence of his lips, at the regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. I didn't know if it was his fault or mine, or if it was both. I just needed to apologize for it. "I…That was wrong."

Edward turned away for a moment, closing his eyes. I noticed that his hands had been curled up into fists and his chest was heaving as he breathed heavily. I watched in concern and made to move forward.

He held up one hand, palm out, to stop me. I halted, a little hurt. But maybe I had crossed the boundaries in more ways than one. He was, after all, a vampire. I couldn't just kiss him like that. I knew about venom in the mouth, the sharp teeth that could hurt a human, kill them. Maybe I had gone too far?

I bit my lip anxiously and waited.

Finally, his chest stopped moving so much and his fingers relaxed. He turned back to look at me, his face a composed mask. "Yes," he agreed. "It was my fault."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he was already on his feet. "Come on. Let's go," he said, swinging me over his shoulder and setting off.

I tried to contain the tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't let him see them. I had to be strong. I had done a terrible thing. I had done something wrong.

All this was so confusing, I barely even knew where to begin or how to wrap my head around it. I didn't even know what 'it' was.

He scaled the side of the house and I closed my eyes. That was one part of his vampire nature I would never get used to. When he stopped moving, I opened my eyes and realized that we were back in my room.

Edward didn't help me get off his back this time, so I slowly slid down to the ground. The moment my feet touched the ground, Edward moved towards the door. I bit my trembling lower lip, willing my tears to disappear. At least until Edward was out of the room.

I hated that he was angry at me, so soon after we had made up. I wanted to be with him like before all this happened. I wanted everything to be alright again.

Edward must have smelled the salt of my tears, though, because he froze at the door. His shoulders slumped and he sighed, turning back to me. He walked towards me and enveloped me in a hug.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and hugged him back tightly. If he had been human, he would have been choking from my grip.

He pulled back at gently wiped at the corners of my eyes with his thumbs. He smiled softly at me. "Best friends, right?" he asked, almost uncertainly.

I smiled back in relief. "Yes," I agreed. "Best friends." He leaned down and pressed his lips to me forehead briefly, gave me a smile and walked out the door.

The memory of our kiss back at the pond came back at me full force. Edward might not be angry with me- at least, he wasn't angry enough to stop talking to me. But I was still beyond confused.

The emotions in me were too strong and they frustrated me, puzzled me. I couldn't understand anything.

I shrugged out of Edward's semi-wet jacket, and draped it over the rocking chair by the window to let it dry. I changed out of my wet clothes and into my pajamas.

Climbing into bed, I wrapped the blankets around me and bit into a pillow to muffle my sobs. I succumbed to the irrational tears that had been threatening to fall ever since he agreed our kiss was a mistake.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Once I had left Bella's room, I stormed into my own room and changed into some dry clothes. Alice's thoughts screamed at me to come down to the living room. I ignored her, not intending on following her orders, when she threatened to come up and start yelling at me in my room. Bella would definitely hear us because she was right next door.

I sighed, raising myself off the couch and went downstairs.

Emmett and Jasper were playing video games. Esme and Carlisle were curled up on the loveseat. Only Alice was bouncing around excitedly, a grin plastered on her face. I scowled at her. It was obvious she hadn't told anyone, but didn't she see the outcome of the kiss I shared with Bella? Why on earth was she so blatantly happy about it?

"Oh, don't be like that, Edward," Alice teased. "You have to admit it was…Wonderful!" she started squealing.

Rosalie, draped around Emmett like a vine, raised an eyebrow at us. "What is she talking about?" she asked suspiciously. I guessed she had reason to be-Bella and I were the only ones not in the room.

I groaned. Not only had Bella dubbed our kiss a mistake, I was going to have to tell her father and both her mothers about it…How wonderful.

Alice smiled wider. "Edward and Bella sitting in a tree," she sang out.

"Alice," I growled.

By this time, she had captured everyone's attention. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she half sang, half squealed.

The family stared at me, open mouthed. "Are you serious?" Emmett asked, shocked.

Alice was bouncing around the room in a blur of black and white. "Yes!" she shrieked. I shushed her, afraid that she'd wake Bella. "Well, they were lying on the grass, not sitting in a tree…But it's the general idea!"

Rosalie growled. "She's fifteen!" she gasped, glaring at me.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Look, I didn't plan on it!" I snapped back. "It just _happened_!"

Emmett laughed, throwing the video game controller on the ground as he grinned at me. "Congratulations, man!" he boomed.

"Do you mind?" I snarled at him. "Bella's upstairs! She might hear us!"

Emmett frowned at my sour mood, and Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth are you so glum?" he asked me, surprised. "I would think you would be happy this happened."

Before I had a chance to reply, Alice came to sit beside Jasper, shrugging. "She said it was a mistake," she said casually, examining her nails. "Rose, we really have to go for a manicure soon."

I gaped at her. She had just revealed to everyone the most heart wrenching moment of my existence, and then acted as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Esme's soft voice greeted my ears.

Their thoughts attacked me all at once.

Sympathy.

Confusion.

Understanding.

Sorrow.

None of which I wanted. Not even from Rosalie. I turned away from them to head up the stairs. Alice called me back and I froze at the foot of the stairs. "She just needs time, Edward," she said quietly. "It's confusing, you know. Falling in love with your own best friend. Especially when he's a vampire who doesn't age and has seen you grow up since the age of six."

Jasper, too, seemed to think Bella didn't mean it when she said it was a mistake. "You had time to get used to the idea. You avoided her for sixteen months, Edward. She needs the time, too," he said, reminding me of the dark time in our lives.

I sighed, and turned back to face them. I needed to know something. "Alice, you saw this right?" I asked her. "Before we even went out? That's why you were blocking your thoughts?" She nodded her head, excitement still pouring out of her.

"Then why the hell didn't you say anything?"

Alice laughed. "Because," she squealed. "Now you're her first kiss!" She bounced up from her seat to give me a huge hug. "Isn't it great?"

_Great_? That wouldn't be a word I'd use.

But thinking about it, yes, it was wonderful to know that Bella's first kiss had gone to me, as mine to her. I wouldn't want to think another boy would get the privilege of it. It was too painful to think of it.

Banishing the smile on my face so as not to encourage the smug, knowing look on Alice's face, I begun to talk again. "Look," I said exasperatedly. "I know this family has no secrets, but could you at least pretend not to know about this?" I asked.

"We promised we would continue being best friends, and I'd like to rectify my mistake of avoiding her for so long. Just… No jokes, Emmett, okay? And no cryptic messages, either," I shot a pointed glare at Alice.

Rosalie laughed, and shook her head. "Fine, Edward. Just don't hurt her," she said that last part with every ounce of menace she could muster. And for Rosalie, that was a lot.

I went up the stairs, eager to escape their thoughts. I went back to my room, wondering what Bella was doing at the moment. I'd have to go back to her room when she was soundly asleep to catch the few words she would mumble in her sleep.

In the meanwhile, I laid down on my black couch, slipping my hands under my head, and closed my eyes. Almost immediately, I was back at Reflection Pond, Bella locked in my embrace as our mouths moved in sync. It had been five seconds.

Who would have thought that five seconds could mean so much?

I imagined her wide brown eyes gazing at me, her soft strawberry lips grazing my scar…She had shocked me when she did that. Her lips were so soft against mine, her scent intoxicating. I had barely been sane when our lips met.

I kept reliving our kiss over and over again, imagining a different ending than the one that had transpired just minutes before.

Instead of her backing away, saying it was a mistake, and my agreement to it, I had kissed her longer. I hadn't hurt her. I held her in my embrace and brushed away her hair so I could look into her perfect, dark eyes.

And every time my fantasy ended, it always ended with her saying, "I love you."

______________________________________________________________________________

_So that was it. You're probably going to burn me alive because I made it so that they're STILL not together…But that was sort of the point. Bella's conflicting feelings, her confusion, that sort of thing. She still doesn't really understand, and doesn't know. It's going to take a while. Besides, there's still that BF thing. I just had to add this chapter because I, too, wanted Edward to be Bella's first kiss._

_P.S. Some of you asked how many chapters or how long this story is going to be. I don't know the definite number yet, but I do have it planned until chapter 51. I also know that I __don't__ think chapter 51 is the end of Bella Hale. It's going to be quite long, I suppose. I hope you don't mind._

_To summerland61, yes she did have friends in Forks. I just didn't write her goodbyes to them. And as for Bella being in Forks longer than London-it's only by two years. I doubt that she made a lot of friends when she was two. She'd have made friends in kindergarten and all, and she would have been sad to say goodbye, but her connection with her grown up friends was stronger-they could talk, bond, go out together, that sort of thing._

_To Tiffany's Hogwarts Secrets, I don't know where right now. I watched it on megavideo, I think. But when I went to watch it again, it had been deleted. I used Google to find it, though. P.S. I'm glad the story's funny sometimes. _

_To Capella85, better than SM's?? No way…She's a genius! But thank you for the compliment. Is it completely corny to say that I felt happy and giddy inside reading your review, too?? Well, I don't care, I just said it. Thanks for reading!_

_To sylviaxoxxcullen, OMG I'm so sorry. I had no idea I took the idea from you. LOL. Sorry. I was all frazzled from the writer's block…Thanks for giving me the idea of Emmett breaking down the door._

_I'm glad you guys more or less liked the vampire healing in my last chapter. And I'm glad you enjoyed Bella dissing Tanya like that-I've been waiting to write that scene for a LONG time, and I'm glad I was finally able to._

_Read, enjoy and review. Thank you so much._

_Juliet._


	28. Forks

_**A/N:**__ It's completely freaky how I've started experiencing jet lag…Without having been anywhere out of the country. I start sleeping at six in the evening and I wake up at three in the morning. God only knows why. All I know is that I have too much energy to go to sleep._

_P.S. For those of you who haven't been to the gym in over a year and had a sudden inspiration boost to slim down, I have one advice for you-DON'T. MY LEGS!!!!!!!!!!! MY LEGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_Alright. Enough with the nonsense. In this chapter, as predicted from the title, Bella moves to Forks. I hope you enjoy reading this and even if you don't, review after you're done. Thank you!!!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Alice_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

Summer was already here. Bella had said her goodbyes to Danielle and her other friends from school. We were going to Forks in a week or so. Carlisle wanted us to settle back in while he started his job at the hospital.

I still didn't know where things stand with Bella and I. For the first few days after the kiss, things were a little odd. Bella was hardly at home, but Alice merely said that it was because she was too busy studying for finals and spending her last days with her friends.

It probably didn't help that I kept thinking of our kiss. She might not be able to read my mind, but if Emmett could have noticed it, Bella certainly would have.

I couldn't possibly know for sure if Bella thought of our kiss at all, but I knew she dreamt of it. Every night since then, I had heard her sleep talking about it. Words like 'kiss', 'cold', 'perfect' and 'love' accompanied my name. Sometimes they gave me hope, sometimes they confused me. Even with her sweet ramblings, I couldn't be sure what exactly was happening in her dreams.

I wanted nothing more to finally get to the point of her life where I would be able to kiss her whenever I liked, hold her in my arms, whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

She needed time, though, just like Alice and Jasper had told me. I could understand that. I had to. After all, I had taken to avoiding her like the plague when I first found out. I had needed time to comprehend my feelings for her. She might not have heard about the visions, but I had kissed her. She needed time for that.

Thankfully, though, we had slowly gotten back to our usual dynamic. After her finals were over, Bella started asking for piano lessons again. She had become a little rusty at it considering she hadn't played for over a year. I had been more than happy to oblige.

Right now, Bella was outside swimming with Rosalie, Alice and Emmett. She had really gotten attached to the indoor pool. I wondered if we would be able to do the same with our house in Forks. It would be hard for her to actually go swimming in the ocean there considering it was so cold…Nothing compared to Alaska, but it would still probably give her pneumonia, I'd suppose.

I heard her laughter drew closer to me, and momentarily, my fingers slipped on the piano. She sounded so happy, so wonderful…So beautiful.

She entered the living room, a long shirt over her bathing suit. Her long, creamy legs glistened with water from the pool. Her wet hair dripped onto her shirt, causing streaks of water to dampen her shirt. I gulped, trying to pry my eyes from her. Unsuccessfully.

Emmett, Rosalie and Alice came into the living room. Needless to say, Emmett and Alice were laughing silently, making sure Bella couldn't see them. Rosalie was shooting me warning looks. I knew she didn't want me to hurt Bella or scare her off in any way.

I fought to control myself. I was acting like a human male. What was wrong with me?

Bella saw me by the piano and smiled at me. "Hey, Edward," she said, stopping at the piano. "Do you mind waiting for a few minutes while I change?" she gestured to her outfit with a laugh. "I wouldn't want you to kill me for getting water all over your precious piano."

Actually, I didn't mind her outfit.

I mentally smacked myself for thinking that, swallowed and nodded my head. "Sure," I tried to sound like everything was normal but truthfully, I think I squeaked it out.

Bella didn't seem to notice the difference, though, and smiled that breathtaking smile of hers one last time before going up the stairs. She walked up the steps slowly and I knew it was because she didn't want to trip and fall over. Her movements, however, made her hips sway enticingly.

I groaned, banging my head on the piano and squeezing my eyes shut. Where were all these thoughts coming from? Had I been poisoned with Emmett's and Rosalie's thoughts for too long? Was I finally going insane?

I knew I was in love with Bella, but did loving her like that meant thinking of her in that way?

Alice and Jasper were right. I already knew I was in love with her and thinking about her like that was scaring me senseless. Bella definitely needed time to think it through.

I heard Emmett's trademark laughter behind me, but I didn't lift my head off of the piano nor acknowledged him.

He chose to ignore the fact that I clearly wanted to be left alone, and started to tease me. As always. "Aw, you know it's about time, Eddie," he joked. "It's a whole lot of fun seeing a sexually repressed vampire finally feeling-"

I growled and swiveled around to glare at him. "Don't even start," I warned him, shaking my head.

He merely laughed again and turned to Rosalie. "Come on, babe. Let's go upstairs and torture him a little bit more with our, uh, thoughts," he chuckled.

Rosalie laughed, too, but her thoughts warned me not to try anything inappropriate. Future mate or no future mate, Bella was still her daughter.

I winced. How awkward would that turn out to be? Wooing Bella in front of her own parents? In the same house? Not to mention the fact that they were vampires-they would be able to hear everything we said…Or did.

Before my thoughts could drift off, I quickly focused on the piano. I had started getting inspirations for the song I had been writing. The funny thing was, I kept getting inspirations on it whenever I was watching Bella sleep.

Letting my fingers work on their own accord, I listened to the song as I played. It sounded so soothing. I could just imagine it, this song playing in the background as Bella slept so soundly in her bed. It suited her.

With a sudden jolt, I realized that I had written this song for her. Whenever I'd played it, the image of Bella sleeping peacefully would enter my mind…How had I not see this? How had I not realized?

One thing that bothered me, though, was why on earth it had taken so long to complete the song. It was still unfinished. I was almost there. I just needed a little push.

Bella's freesia scent grew stronger, as did her heartbeat. I heard the pitter patter of her footsteps as she approached me. I felt her sit next to me, listening to the song. "It sounds like a lullaby," she whispered.

I smiled to myself. Yes, it did sound like a lullaby. It was her lullaby. Amazingly, as she sat next to me, listening to me play, I finished the song. I hadn't even thought about it. It was almost an instinct.

Once I was done, my fingers stilled and I stared at the piano in amazement. My surprised eyes turned to look at Bella. She was frowning a little at the expression on my face. "Edward, are you alright?" she asked, placing a soft, warm hand on my arm. I could feel the warmth radiating off of her even through the material of my shirt.

I nodded, smiling wider as I realized the reason for the delay of the completion of the song. It was Bella's lullaby. I had been closed off from admitting the love I had for her, closed off from feeling it. Now that I did, the lullaby was complete.

"You inspired it," I whispered. She was sitting close enough to hear me, and her eyes widened in shock.

"I did?" she whispered back, puzzled.

I nodded my head, my fingers twitching on the keys. I wanted to reach out and stroke her hair, pull her close to me. Instead, I merely just smiled and looked down at my lap.

Bella was silent, but her heart pounded faster. I could smell the adrenaline that was making her blood pump faster through her veins. She might have stopped breathing. I looked up at her worriedly, only to see a shy smile on her face. "Thank you, Edward," she said, eyes twinkling.

I felt my heart swell up in love. She was thanking me. For her own lullaby. I liked this. The feeling that came with doing something for Bella without having been asked or told. The feeling of making her happy. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

I beamed at her, then begun our piano lesson.

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

I was doing some online shopping for Bella. She wouldn't follow me to the mall because she didn't want to 'ruin' her last week in Denali.

I rolled my eyes. Almost ten years, and I still couldn't get through to her.

I was beginning to think there was something incredibly wrong with her.

The point was, I needed to get her a whole new wardrobe for Forks, whether she liked it or not. I had already covered my wardrobe, as well as everyone else's. Forks was cold, but not as cold as Alaska. Her clothes wouldn't do. I had already gone through her wardrobe and pulled out the few items that would make it to Forks. The rest I had thrown away, leaving just enough to last Bella through the week.

At least she had partially given in to the inevitable fact that I was the one who controlled what she wore. I controlled the wardrobe of every single Cullen in the family. She just _had _to accept it.

Jasper was out hunting with Emmett and Carlisle. Only Edward remained in the house, infatuated with Bella. He really didn't like leaving her side. He only went hunting when she was asleep, always careful to be back when she was awake. He rarely went on weekend hunting trips anymore. He'd always return when daylight breaks.

I could hear their piano lesson going on downstairs. She was actually getting really good at it. Not nearly as good as Edward, since he was the musical prodigy. But she rivaled Rosalie's talent and that was saying something because Rosalie was the second best musician in the family.

Just then, a vision struck me and I gasped. A huge smile spread across my face and I let out an ear splitting squeal I knew even Bella could hear from downstairs. I couldn't help it! It was just too exciting!

I dashed downstairs, abandoning the laptop. Shopping could be done later. This was more important. And you know it's big when I, Alice Cullen, was the one to say that.

I stopped at the piano, jumping up and down excitedly. "Bella!" I shouted. She flinched at my volume, and I grinned sheepishly. I forgot for a moment how loud I could be to a human. "Bella!" I said again, softer. "I have the greatest news in the world!"

She raised her eyes and grinned a little devious smile at me. "All the malls in the world had been closed down?" she teased. Edward chuckled next to her and I glared at her. _Whipped_, I thought to him, wanting to rile him up. Instead he just continued smiling and shrugged.

I huffed, rolling my eyes, and placed my hands on my hips. "Don't even joke about something like that!" I glared at Bella. She watched me amusedly. Alright, I supposed she had gotten use to my outbursts on how important shopping was.

I considered not telling Bella the good news for a moment, but I was too excited to hold out on her. So I broke out into a huge grin and grabbed her by the shoulders. Lifting her off the bench, I crushed her in a huge hug without a single problem.

"Carlisle is going to allow you to sit for your driver's test!" I squealed, putting her down on her feet.

Bella's eyes widened, and I heard her heart started to beat faster. "Are you sure?" she asked in a whisper.

I nodded my head. I knew why she was skeptical. The last time Bella had asked Carlisle if she could take her driver's test, he'd flat out said no. He thought she was enough of a klutz on her own two feet and didn't want her to get into an accident somewhere.

Bella had sulked, of course. All of her friends had taken Drivers Ed. They had already gotten their driver's license. She was the only one without one. I empathized with her, but Carlisle had been tough to sway.

But this time, Esme had broken him down. Of course she had. We Cullen women had ways to get our men to do what we want them to.

I couldn't wait to see Bella do the same thing with Edward. Not that she hadn't already done so since we'd first met her.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Edward asked, frowning.

Bella and I both turned to him and glared. "Don't ruin the moment, Edward," I chided him, but he ignored me, that frown ever present.

Bella sighed and sat down next to him on the bench. "Edward," she called out to him. When he didn't answer her, too caught up in his own thoughts, Bella pouted. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged, gaining his attention.

"Would you please stop worrying about this?" she asked softly. "I promise I'll learn everything there is to know. I'll be careful on the road. I can't be driven around forever, you know," she reminded him. "I'm a grown woman."

I snickered in my head. _As if he didn't already know that._

Edward growled low in his throat, shooting me death glares, but I merely leaned on the piano and looked at him coolly. His anger didn't faze me one bit.

Finally, he sighed at the puppy dog look Bella was giving him and gave in. "With one condition," he said quickly.

Bella groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. "Isn't there anything we could agree on without having to compromise on something?" she complained, but he ignored that.

"I want to be the one to teach you how to drive," he said. Bella's eyes flew open and she stared at him, surprised. "I'm the best driver in the family-" I snorted. "-So it only makes sense. I want to make sure you know everything there is to know about driving safe." He studied her expression for a moment. "Do we have a deal?"

Bella was quick to agree. She knew that Edward would only get harder to agree with the more she stalled.

And Edward teaching Bella how to drive…What could possibly go wrong?

I flinched.

Famous last words.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I was just so _excited_!

When Carlisle got home yesterday, I pounced on him, hugging him for a full ten minutes before I could let go. He'd laughed and told me all the rules of learning how to drive.

I couldn't drive anywhere on my own until I received my driver's license (Edward felt the need to add "Maybe she shouldn't drive alone at all", to which I glared at him), I had to have a responsible teacher, and I had to follow instructions.

I was going to start my first ever driving lesson today. Edward was already in the passenger seat of his Volvo. He looked so nervous it was comical. I was worried that he would go out of his mind before we even pulled out of the driveway. We were in his precious Volvo, after all.

I glanced at him. "Are you sure you don't want me to take Alice's offer to use her Mercedes?" I asked again.

He shook his head, swallowing visibly. "Let's just start," he said weakly. I rolled my eyes, snapping in my seatbelt and checking the mirrors.

Then I started the engine.

"Wait!" Edward hollered.

I think I heard glass cracking.

One hand flew up to my chest, to attempt calming down my heart which was pounding like crazy. I looked at Edward, too stunned to glare. "We should switch," he said, nodding his head. I was about to point out that if we did switch, I wouldn't actually be able to learn how to drive.

But it seemed like he was having an argument with himself. "No, no, you should drive…You could get into an accident…But then again, I'm here…"

I sighed heavily. "Edward, I took the theory, you know?" I reminded him. I had taken the theory and the written test. I'd gotten almost a full score. The only thing I _didn't _do was take the driver's test because Carlisle wouldn't allow me.

Even though I wouldn't tell anyone, I suspected Edward had something to do with that.

He hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I remember," he muttered.

I waited for him to say something. Anything. But he just kept his eyes closed and his face turned from me. I bit my lip. "Maybe someone else should teach me?" I suggested.

His eyes snapped open and he turned back to face me. "No, I'm fine," he said quickly. "We've already agreed on this, Bella," he said, returning to his usual self.

"I know, but you're all…Nervous," I gestured to his tense posture. His shoulders were so stiff, his hands clenched into fists. His mouth was in that hard line I was so used to whenever Emmett and I pulled a prank on him.

He shook his head. "Let's just go, Bella," he said, nodding towards the road.

I nodded my head and stepped on the gas. "STOP!" he yelled almost immediately.

I retracted my foot and stepped on the brake. The car halted to a stop. I threw my hands up in the air. "Edward!" I cried out, frustrated.

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Habit."

I glared at him, doing my best Rosalie impression, then whipped out my cell phone. He stared at me curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Jasper," I told him without looking at him. If we were going to do this all day, we were never going to get anything done.

"Why?"

The door to the backseat opened and Jasper slid in. He grinned at me. "Alice," he said, by way of explanation.

I nodded my head and said, "Do your magic, Jazz."

I saw the effect on Edward almost instantly. His shoulders relaxed, and his mouth formed a goofy smile. His topaz eyes glimmered as the tension left his body. I couldn't help but be struck by his beauty. His bronze hair flopped over his eyes a little in its messy state. His smile was wide and enchanting. His scent reminded me of our kiss.

Our kiss.

The one that I had successfully blocked from my mind. Most of the time. I kept dreaming of it

Then he snapped out of his euphoric state. "_Jasper_!" he growled.

Jasper only laughed, and leaned back in the car, putting his hands behind his head. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Edward. "I wanted him to do that," I told him. "You can't relax on your own. You look as if I'm about to drive us over the edge of a cliff."

Edward fumed. "You didn't need to do that, Bella," he said bitingly. "I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself. And I do not look like you're about to drive us over the edge of a cliff…I'm merely concerned," he corrected me, folding his arms across his chest.

"We've been here for twenty-five minutes and we haven't even backed out of the driveway yet," I said exasperatedly.

He didn't look fazed by this, still glaring openly at the road in front of us. "Things take time, Bella."

I clenched the wheel with both hands until my hands hurt. I breathed slowly through my teeth. "Edward, we can't just sit here all day," I said finally, when I was able to keep most of the anger from my voice.

He relented. "Fine. But you have to promise not to use Jasper on me," he looked at me pointedly.

I shrugged. "As long as you behave," I teased. He chuckled, as we were off. I slowly backed out of the driveway-after Edward asked me to check the mirrors three more times, and checked for himself that my seatbelt wasn't broken-and was driving down the road. Jasper had to control my excitement.

How could I not be excited? I was driving, for God's sake! _Driving_!

I have never felt more like Alice in my entire life.

Jasper kept manipulating our emotions for fun, though. I have been the brunt of his little games for one too many times to notice when he was doing it. He kept playing up Edward's anxiety and concern, and putting panic in me for no particular reason.

Tired of it, I pulled over the side of the road so I could yell at him properly without having to worry about crashing into a tree or something. "Jasper!" I turned to scowl at him. "Stop that! I asked you to come so that you could help."

He shrugged, grinning. "I was bored…"

"Well don't," Edward said bitingly, also glaring at him. "See?" he turned to me. "I told you we shouldn't have brought him along."

Now he was going to say 'I told you so'? How mature.

Jasper laughed. "Sure, deny a guy his fun," he complained playfully.

I tried a different tack. "Yes, fun," I said mockingly. "And after you've had all this _fun_, will _you _be the one to tell Alice that she can't shop for my new car, or shall I?"

His phone started ringing the moment I said this, and Jasper visibly panicked. "_Alright, alright_!" he gave in. "Just drive already!"

I shared an amused look with Edward and started the engine again.

Jasper muttered "Spoil sport" in the backseat.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

My baby, all grown up.

She had been taking driving lessons from Edward for two and a half months now. I couldn't believe it. Just a few weeks and she would be sixteen years old. Before you know it, she'd be with Edward as his mate and then she'd be changed into one of us.

Not that I wasn't looking forward to spending eternity with my daughter. I was just afraid that once she became a vampire, she wouldn't need me anymore. She would be able to handle everything on her own. She would be strong and fearless. She wouldn't be the fragile girl I would hold in my arms.

I sighed as I stared out the window. We were waiting for Bella to wake up from her human sleep. Edward, Alice and I had gotten Bella her very own car. Emmett had wanted to get her a Viper - that is, until Edward has wrestled him and chased the idea out of his head.

We had browsed through about hundreds of cars until we settled on a silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. It was faster, but Alice was sure than Bella wouldn't crash so we had taken her word for it. Well, _I _had, but Edward was outnumbered.

I couldn't wait to show this to Bella. Ever since I had started teaching her about cars, she had gotten really excited about them. She knew pretty much everything I knew about them - she was an incredibly fast learner.

We had already made our move to Olympia, just a little outside of Forks. School was going to start in two weeks time. Bella was nervous about school, even more so than her driving test. This was going to be her last time going to school as a human. I knew it bothered her more than she cared to admit. I just didn't want to pester her into telling me what was wrong.

I didn't even know if she would confide in me. She normally went to Edward to talk heart to heart. I didn't blame him - he held a very important, very large, piece of her heart. I just wished I had more time and more place in her life as well.

Alice jumped up from her seat next to Jasper. She had already seen how Bella was going to react to the car that had arrived last night. Yet, she was still excited to see the real thing. I rolled my eyes. Some things I would never understand.

"She's going to wake up in four point two seconds," she said giddily. "I'm going to get her into an appropriate 'meet-your-first-car-ever' outfit," she dashed up the stairs.

Of course only Alice would have ever thought of something like that.

I turned to look at Carlisle. "Do you have it?" I asked, my eyes lighting up. Wait 'til Bella gets a hold of this! He nodded his head, patting his shirt pocket and smiling.

I heard Bella groaning and protesting as Alice insisted that she dressed her up today. I chuckled to myself. Same ol' Bella. Alice had high hopes that she would grow to love shopping, clothes and Bella Barbie time, but that had never happened.

It was pretty obvious and should have been more so to a psychic, but I supposed Alice was just too excited that she had a new girl friend to do all these things with.

Finally, Alice and Bella came down the stairs. Alice was practically glowing as she bounced over to her place next to Jasper.

Bella came down the stairs, biting her lip as she watched her step before she moved very carefully. She tripped on the last step anyway, but Edward was there to catch her before she could do any damage.

As expected, Bella blushed as Edward placed her on her feet. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking shyly at her feet.

She moved towards the kitchen, but I rushed forward and grabbed her hand. "Breakfast later," I said firmly. "I have something to show you."

Bella looked at me, confused. "Did you, of all people, tell me to skip breakfast?" she asked incredulously, looking at me like I'd grown another head. "Is this some sort of joke? Do you have a vampire fever?"

I rolled my eyes at her. It was entertaining, sometimes, the naivety of her simple comments. "No, silly Bella," I laughed. "I'm just real excited to show you something! And I'm not telling you to skip breakfast - you can eat in a few minutes."

I tugged at her hand and pulled her easily out the door. The rest of the family followed close by. Bella kept shooting me questions the whole way. "Why are we going to the garage? What do you mean 'something'? Why is everyone coming with us?"

Sometimes the girl was just too inquisitive.

We went into the garage, past my new M3, past Alice's Mercedes, past Emmett's Jeep. And there, right next to Edward's newest Volvo (really, the guy was obsessed), was Bella's new McLaren. Alice had insisted on putting a blue bow on the front.

I swore Bella's heart stopped beating for about a second. Her mouth hung open at the sight of the car. "What. Is. That?" she asked slowly, turning to me, her face flushed.

"You don't even know what car that is?" I teased her, bumping into her side intentionally. "I'm disappointed, Bella. I thought you'd memorized every issue of Car and Driver."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Now's not the time for jokes, mom!" she said, eyes flashing with annoyance and excitement.

I pretended to pout. "Alright, alright. You're so _bossy_…Happy early birthday, sweetie," I leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Bella started hyperventilating. I looked at her in concern. Before I had a chance to voice my worries, though, she had launched herself at my neck, and hugged me tighter than she had ever done. "It's _mine_?" she shrieked, in a very Alice-like manner.

I laughed, hugging her back as fiercely as I could without breaking her bones. I really doubted she wanted her first day in a new school stuck with a neck brace. "Yes, Bella. Do you like it?"

I already knew the answer, of course, but it didn't hurt to want to hear it, nonetheless.

"_Yes_!" she screamed. "Are you kidding? Of course I love it!"

I could see the amusement in my family's eyes as she hugged the car from the front, practically laying down face first on the hood. I laughed. The truth was, we loved spoiling her and making her happy. She didn't always appreciate having money spent on her, so I was glad that she was accepting the gift so openly and without a fuss.

I handed her the keys to the car while Alice said, "Now you can drive us to the mall, Bella!"

Bella couldn't even find it in herself to frown at that - she was too excited at the prospect of driving somewhere. Then she said, "Thanks, guys. I really love it." She hugged me one more time.

Edward cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Do you want to go for a ride?" he asked, grinning at her.

I heard Bella's heart did a stutter, then beat wildly as she gazed at Edward. I raised an eyebrow. Was she already feeling what a lover would feel with Edward?

One thing I had noticed throughout the years was that no matter how old she was, her heart had always stuttered for a quick second every time she was with Edward. Even when she was six. Even when he wasn't talking to her.

But her heart had _never _beat so crazily like that before. It was as if it was trying to claw itself out of her chest.

I listened to it beat in fascination, as did the rest of us.

Bella blushed but frowned, blinking at Edward innocently. "I don't have my license," she pointed out.

Carlisle stepped forward, as well. "That's not exactly true," he smiled. Bella raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. Carlisle whipped out the driver's license from his shirt pocket and handed it to her.

She took it and her jaw dropped open in surprise. "I…Never took my test," she stuttered.

Alice laughed her tinkling laugh. "Yes, silly Bella, and I'm not really sixteen years old nor was I born in Seattle. We have ways to get legal documents such as driver's license, you know," she said, dancing over to Bella and giving her a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Isn't that illegal?" she frowned.

Edward laughed, placing an arm around her shoulders. Again, her heart beat wildly. "Don't worry. You won't get sent to jail," he joked.

Bella slapped him lightly on the shoulder, though she smiled widely. "So how about that ride?" he asked, smiling because he knew her answer would be a 'yes'.

But I stepped forward. No way was I going to let my baby drive her car on an empty stomach. What if she felt faint later on? She could easily crash and get herself killed. Knowing my danger magnet of a daughter, it was entirely probable.

"Nah-uh," I said, pulling Bella away from the car and back towards the house. "Breakfast first!"

Bella's face fell. "Mom!" she protested. "You can't just…But _my baby_!" she turned her head to look longingly at her McLaren.

I chuckled as I dragged her towards the kitchen. If anything, her protests proved that she was a true Cullen.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I had taken my McLaren out every single day since I'd gotten it. Every single person in the family had ridden it with me…In the passenger seat. I finally understood how Edward could get so protective of his Volvo. I wouldn't let anyone drive my car, not even Edward, Alice and Rosalie who had bought it for me.

Tomorrow school was starting. I wouldn't be driving my McLaren. Edward had said that I could, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself. Not to mention something could happen to my McLaren. So I would be taking Edward's Volvo with him while the others took Rosalie's M3.

I was nervous about school. This was the last time I was going to school as a human. I felt so strange, packing my bag, 'helping' Alice pick out my school outfit, thinking about tomorrow.

I didn't want to make any friends because I wouldn't be able to stay close after I was changed. I would have to drop off the face of the earth. I didn't want anyone to remember me as Bella Swan because I was Bella Hale now.

I didn't even remember being Bella Swan to anyone other than my parents. Even then, my memories weren't so strong. I remembered a girl I used to play with at pre-school and kindergarten. She had dark hair and a kind face…I couldn't quite remember her name. Maybe if I tried hard enough…

If she still lived there, she would be at the high school. Forks was an incredibly small town. They had only one high school. And there were only a few hundred students in it. If the girl attended it, chances are, she and I would meet again.

A part of me was excited to see the part of my life I left behind when I became a Hale. A part of me wanted absolutely nothing to do with it because it still hurt to think of my parents.

They were amazing people, that much I could remember. I loved them dearly.

I didn't know if Heaven really existed. I believed in it, but I didn't have actual proof that it was there. But if it _did _exist, and my parents were really watching over me, I owed it to them to make them proud of my last years as a human.

I sighed as I stared at Wuthering Heights in front of me. I had been staring at the same page for the past forty minutes, lost in thought, not taking in a single word. I wanted to talk to someone, but who?

I couldn't talk to Edward about this. Even though he had more or less accepted the fact that I was going to be just like him one day, soon, he was still a little edgy when it came to the sore topic.

I could talk to Jasper…But he'd panic as the protective big brother. Emmett would just joke around. Alice would tell me she had already seen everything and I had nothing to worry about. Esme would worry too much, and so would Carlisle.

Rosalie. That was who I could talk to. My other mother. I loved her, too, and sometimes she gave the best advice. I smacked myself mentally for not thinking of her sooner. She had just the right amount of sarcasm to keep me from panicking too much and she would always be there for me.

I thank God that Edward and the boys had gone hunting tonight. I did not want to have this conversation when he could easily hear me.

I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and stood up, walking to Rose's room. I stumbled a little in the hallway, but otherwise nothing major happened. I knocked on her bedroom door tentatively. She called me in.

I was greeted with the smell of nail polish as soon as I stepped inside. Rosalie was sitting on her bed, painting her toe nails red - the same color as her nails, and the same color as her M3. I smiled to myself. Leave it to Rose to be ostentatious.

"Hey, mom, do you mind if we talk?" I asked.

Rosalie looked up at me and smiled. "Not at all, sweetie," she said, patting the bed next to her. I climbed in and slipped weaved an arm with hers, resting my head on her shoulder. "What's up?"

I sighed. "I don't know," I admitted. "I just feel nervous, I guess, about tomorrow."

Rose put away her nail polish and brushed at my hair. "Baby, you don't have to be nervous," she said, looking at me in the eyes. "We're all going to be there for you."

I nodded my head. "I know that. It's just that Forks…I used to live there. What if people remember me?" I asked.

What if they did remember me? Had they seen Edward and the others? What if they remembered them as teenagers? What if they suspected something since the Cullen kids didn't age? What if something horrible happened?

Rosalie sensed that I was going into a panic attack, and shushed me, hugging me to her. I breathed in her familiar scent and closed my eyes. "What if people remember _you_?" I mumbled into her hair.

Rose shook her head. "The last time we were in Olympia, we never went to high school in Forks. We were just waiting it out until our London home was finished," she told me, running her hands through my hair the way she always did every time she calmed me.

I snuggled deeper into her, hugging her tighter. I loved the mother-daughter moments we shared. It was different with Esme, and it was different with her. I loved them both the same but it was nice just the same to be with Rosalie.

We hadn't had enough time together recently. I vowed to myself to change that. I had missed her deeply.

"And is it so bad if people remember you?" Rosalie asked, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "Wouldn't you want a connection to your past?"

I shrugged, not meeting her eyes. But Rosalie wouldn't have that. She nudged me gently to get me to talk to her. "I just…I don't want to remember them," I whispered. She looked confused for a moment, so I continued. "It still hurts, you know? I mean, I love you and Esme as my mothers. And Carlisle's a great father. But they were my parents, too. I just don't want anyone reminding me of them."

I sighed. I must have sounded like a total maniac.

But Rose only hugged me, and said, "I know it hurts. But baby, trying to forget them won't take away the pain. You have to deal with it. You were too young to grief properly. Look at it this way. This is an opportunity to get to know your parents and your life before us. Remember because it's not right to forget," she kissed the top of my head.

I smiled slightly at her. "When did you get so wise?" I teased slightly. She laughed and pulled her to me. We just sat there for a long while until Alice burst into the room, demanding to let her do my nails for tomorrow.

I sighed. Some things never changed.

******************************************************************************

I was sleeping very peacefully when Alice bounced into my room. She jumped on the bed and shook me by the shoulders. I could hear her calling out to me, telling me to wake up. I groaned. "Go 'way, Alice," I mumbled into my pillow, rolling over to catch more shut-eye.

I gave a slight scream as I tumbled from my bed and ended up on the floor. My eyes flew open and landed on Alice as she grinned at me from the bed.

I glared at her, my eyes searching for my radio alarm. I had set it to wake me up. Why had it been so silent? Had I slept through it? Was it broken? My eyes bulged out as I found the time. It was two hours before we had to leave for school! It wasn't even light out!

"Alice!" I yelled. "Why on earth did you wake me up so early?"

She shrugged. "It's the first day of school," she chirped, jumping off the bed excitedly. "We have to get you ready."

I thought we had already picked out my outfit? When I voiced this, Alice snorted. "If I were to pick out your outfit today, Bella, you would have been awake hours ago."

The scary thing was, she wasn't exaggerating.

Alice shoved me into the shower and then dragged me all the way to her own bathroom where she could do my hair and make-up properly.

I saw Jasper lying on their bed, flipping through channels on their flat screen. When he saw me, he chuckled. "Bella Barbie time?" he asked sympathetically. I pouted and nodded my head. Alice rolled her eyes and pushed me into the bathroom.

As it turned out, she had changed her mind about my outfit. I was now going to wear a blue knee-length baby doll dress with leggings. I sighed, sitting in front of her vanity in my robe and waiting for her to start on my hair. There really was no use fighting Alice. She'd win in the end, anyway.

An hour and fifty three minutes later, she was done. She had curled my hair into loose ringlets at the end, and she had done my make-up but it looked natural enough to look as if I wasn't wearing any. I had slipped into my outfit and had taken my designer bag and was waiting for Edward to come out of his room so that we could leave.

I remembered something and dashed up to my room. I went to my vanity and opened the heart shaped jewelry box I had gotten from Alice for my seventh birthday. I found what I was looking for in a millisecond.

Edward's charm bracelet.

I loved it very much but I always had the fear of losing it, so I only wore it when I needed luck on my side. I wore it the first time I went for ballet class, the time we moved to London, every time the Denali clan came to visit, when Edward stopped talking to me…

Today warranted a burst of luck, as well. I slipped on the bracelet and fastened it around my wrist. I held it up in front of my eyes and studied the charms.

There was my very first charm - Edward's diamond heart, of course. I loved it to death. Then there was Carlisle's cross. Edward had given me a charm for every occasion he would think of.

There was a candy cane for the very first time I spent Christmas as a Hale, there was a little silver purse he'd given me as a joke because he knew I hated shopping sprees with Alice, there was a cupcake with emeralds as the topping for the first time I baked something with Esme, a gold baseball glove because he'd taught me how to play, a tropical postcard for the time we went to the Bahamas, a golden heart with a lucky shamrock because I told him I only wore the bracelet for luck, a silver genie in a bottle charm because he'd told me once that anything I wished for was his command, a silver lion because I had wanted to see him hunt and he'd said I couldn't, a book because I loved to read, an Eiffel tower for the trip to Paris. And finally, a crystal angel he'd placed himself during the time he was avoiding me.

I smiled at the charm bracelet. I heard Edward calling my name, and turned around. He was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He smiled at me as I blushed, realizing he had been there the whole time I was admiring my bracelet.

"Do you wish for a little bit of luck today, Bella?" he asked, strolling into the room.

As it had been doing lately, my heart went into overdrive. I frowned slightly at it. I couldn't understand why I reacted that way.

My only guess was because we had kissed several months ago. But that couldn't be it. We had both agreed that it was a mistake. We'd never talked about it or mentioned it, and neither had anyone else. We'd continued being best friends without any problems.

I couldn't be thinking of our kiss. This was probably just a hallucination. Maybe I was just startled. He _did _have a tendency to sneak up on me.

I grinned sheepishly at him. "Yes," I bit my lip. "I'm nervous, I suppose."

He touched the bracelet briefly, and when he pulled away, I noticed a new charm hanging next to the angel. It was a diamond four-leaf clover. I smiled at him warmly. "Thank you."

Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me out of the room. "Trust me, Bella. There's nothing for you to be nervous about," he assured me. He leaned closer and kissed my hair. I blushed again.

Esme and Carlisle wished me good luck for school because they, too, could see that I was anxious. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper were already in her M3, the engine running. They weren't pulling out of the garage, though, and I knew it was because Edward and I weren't in the Volvo yet. We tended to move together.

Edward let go of me as soon as he pulled open the passenger door. I glared at him and climbed in. I was perfectly capable of opening my own door, thank you very much. He was sitting next to me in the blink of an eye, chuckling. I fastened my seat belt as he turned on the engine. I smiled at the familiar purr of the engine.

Within seconds, we were pulling out of the driveway and driving away from the comfort of home.

******************************************************************************

Once we pulled into the school parking lot, I immediately felt self-conscious. Every pair of eyes were on us, the new kids.

Not only that, I realized that Edward's Volvo and Rosalie's M3 were the most luxurious cars in the lot. Most just had trucks or vans or Hondas. Nothing as ostentatious as our cars. I shuddered to think if I had driven my McLaren.

Edward sensed my discomfort and wrapped his arm around my shoulder again. I sunk into his side, relieved that I had my best friend to hold onto, and followed the others into the office. "Hi," Alice chirped sweetly to the woman behind the desk.

She raised her head and looked at all of us, her eyes widening instantly. I smiled slightly. It must be slightly disconcerting to see five vampires all at once. She might not know what they were, but their beauty was blinding.

I looked incredibly plain next to them, but I didn't resent it at all. After all, I knew for a fact that I would someday look just like them. I would someday looked like I belong standing amongst them. There was no point in being upset about it so soon to the supposed date.

The woman - Mrs. Cope, according to her name tag - cleared her throat as she raked her eyes over us. "Hello," she squeaked, as her eyes found Edward.

I turned my head slightly and pressed my mouth into his shoulder. She looked to be in her forties, and she was crushing on him? Poor Edward looked pained. He could, after all, read her mind. I fought the urge to laugh at his discomfort. Instead, I grabbed his hand and squeezed reassuringly.

Rosalie leaned forward to get her attention. "We're the new students," she announced unnecessarily.

Mrs. Cope regained herself and gave us our schedules, slips of papers to have each teacher sign and maps of the school ground.

When we got out of the office, Edward breathed out in relief. I giggled at his behavior and he scowled playfully at me. "_You _didn't have a forty year old woman arguing with herself about how attractive you were in her mind," he said defensively.

I smirked. "It would be incredible strange if I did, Edward," I laughed.

Edward, Alice and I compared schedules. I would have English and Biology with Edward, Homeroom with Alice and Spanish with both Edward and Jasper. Thank God none of them had gym with me. It would be humiliating enough on my own. I got to spend lunch with them all, though, so I was content.

Alice and I waved goodbye to Edward as we headed off to homeroom. I sat next to her and pulled out the newest journal Jasper had given me. I started doodling on the side of a fresh page while I waited for the announcements to begin.

"Hi," someone said. I looked up to see an overeager boy. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and his face was very boyish.

"Hello," I said warily, sharing a look with Alice. She smiled brightly at me, and I rolled my eyes slightly.

"I'm Mike Newton," he said proudly. I furrowed my brows in confusion. Why did he sound so proud of his own name?

I shrugged it off, and shook his extended hand. "Bella Hale."

He held on to my hand a little too long for my liking, so I yanked it away, blushing furiously. I ducked my head and continued to doodle.

Apparently, Mike Newton had different plans. "So, you're new here?" he said, nodding his head at his own question.

I held back my laughter. Wasn't it obvious? Everyone knew everyone in this school. Of course I was new. "Yes," I said politely. "As is my sister," I added quickly, trying to divert his attention.

Mike's eyes flashed to Alice, who shook his hand as well and introduced herself. And then he went right back to look at me. I sighed inwardly. This was going to be the longest class of my life.

"Do you need any help around the school?" Mike asked eagerly. "I could always show you around, help you with homework and stuff." I noticed that his eyes showed the lust that I had seen plenty of men shown whenever they looked at Rosalie. I shuddered involuntarily.

I shook my head. "Thanks for the offer, Mike, but I-"

The teacher started calling out names to check for attendance, saving me from actually turning him down. God only knew I was terrible at it. Not that I had all that much of a practice before.

I gave Mike a 'what-can-you-do' look and shrugged. I focused on the teacher, pretending like I was really intrigued with what he had to say. Eventually, Mike turned back to face the front and left me alone.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I might not be able to read his mind, but I still had a smidgen of an idea how Edward felt in the office.

******************************************************************************

By the end of the period, I had learnt more about Mike than I had ever wanted to know. I knew why he was so proud of his name - his family owned a sporting good store - the names of his brothers, why he had a scrape on his knee and the funny incident that happened to him as a child in pre-school.

Mike wouldn't let go of me, sticking to my side throughout the entire homeroom class. After homeroom, Alice went for French class, so I was left alone to look for History class.

As it turned out, Mike had the same class as well. It wasn't all that surprising since the student population was so small - I had to have _some _classes with the same people. Mike, however, became overly excited over that.

I waved Alice goodbye sadly and she gave me a reassuring smile. Kissing me on the cheek, she whispered, "Good luck. You're going to need it."

As soon as we stepped into History class, I knew what she meant. Every single person in the room looked at me as I walked in. Mike simply looked smug about something. I sighed and went over to the teacher's desk. She signed the slip of paper and sent me to my seat.

Class hadn't officially begun yet so Mike followed me. To my extreme irritation, he sat on the edge of my desk and kept talking non-stop about God knows what. I stopped listening when he started talking about the gossip mill. I didn't know guys liked to talk about that.

A tall guy came over to my desk. He smiled widely at me. "Hi!" he said. "I'm Tyler Crowley. You're Isabella Hale, right?"

"Bella," I corrected instantly.

Eric opened his mouth to say something when a nasal voice interrupted him. "Weren't you Isabella Swan?"

I flinched slightly and turned to find a silver blonde girl striding over to me. She draped an arm over one of Tyler's shoulder, her fishy eyes studying me critically.

I swallowed back the bile at being recognized as Bella Swan, already. I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "Not anymore," I said as politely as I could.

"I'm Lauren Mallory," she said, her voice hard. I didn't understand this. She looked and acted as if she hated me. How could she when she had seen me for all of twenty seconds?

I didn't bother giving her my name since she already knew it. "So, what, like, you're adopted?" she wrinkled her nose at me.

She made it sound offensive that I was adopted.

"Um, yes?" I said. Why on earth did that just come out like a question?

I heard another female voice and prayed to God that this wasn't some sort of Mean Girls moment. "Oh, back off, Lauren." A girl with curly brown hair came up to my table and smiled at me. "Jessica," she shook my hand.

For the thousandth time today, I said, "Bella."

The teacher begun talking once the second bell rung. I made a mental thank you to whatever higher power was out there and took down my notes.

When the bell finally rung, I slipped into Spanish class, and saw Edward and Jasper sitting in the back. I slipped into the empty seat next to Edward in relief. Jasper noted this, and laughed. "Horrible first day so far?" he teased.

I shook my head, groaning and focused on Edward instead. He looked like he was ready to murder someone. "Edward? Are you okay?" I raised an eyebrow.

Edward's jaw was clenched so tightly, he wasn't even able to respond. I shifted my gaze to Jasper who answered for him. "He gets like this every first few days in a new school. The thoughts of hormonally charged teenagers get to him. A lot," he explained, chuckling.

Edward scowled at Jasper, annoyed, and continued to stare at the front of the class, eyes narrowed into slits.

I poked his arm and he turned to look at me. "At least you don't have three guys following you around everywhere and a girl who hates your guts," I whispered conspiratorially.

Edward snorted in laughter, then smiled at me. "At least we have lunch next."

______________________________________________________________________________

_That was the long awaited chapter of Bella and the Cullens back in Forks. I hope I explained it well enough in the story. Next chapter would be their first day part two. I just love the funny human interactions but I haven't written them yet. So I'll do my best next chapter._

_To xosummerxo, The Swans as vampires?? An interesting storyline. I'm not sure if it would fit into Bella Hale considering Carlisle, Esme and the others would have made sure Renee and Charlie were dead, and they surely attended the funeral so Bella could say her last goodbyes. I'll see if I could write it in, though, considering I never actually wrote in the funeral._

_To ApplesInStereo, I'm glad I got the sibling dynamics right. I'm an only child so I know absolutely nothing about having brothers or sisters. You live in Seattle? Does it always rain there because I read somewhere that it did. LOL. Random. Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_To SuchABlue, he looked like he regretted it because despite Alice's warning, he just went ahead and kissed her. He knows she's not ready yet so he blames himself for pushing it. Classic Edward, of course._

_To dnabgeek, thank you for saying that. I agree, that is saying a lot coming from a lit major… Especially since I'm not one. LOL. Do I write other stuff, you mean like my own stories?? Yes, I do. I've worked on several things for a long time but I'm focusing on one particular project right now. It's a novel, probably with six more after the first one._

_To Eddielover101, nice story. I pictured it in my head while I read it. Quite comical. I actually LOL in the cab I was in. Thanks for reviewing!_

_To summerland61, I thought, and still do think, that JK Rowling was incredible. She created an entire new world with HP. She thought of everything and it was very detailed. And I just love the British humor and Ron and Hermione together. But I wasn't completely obsessed or anything. I thought JK was a genius for creating HP world, but it was more like I wanted to be as good a writer as she was. I love HP, though, and can't wait for the movie since the book series ended. I guess I just love the Twilight love story a little more. LOL._

_To reader13lovesbooks, around 7 chapters. I didn't want to rush Bella having a boyfriend so 2 or 3 chapters is too short. The whole point of the BF is for her to realize and for Edward to get jealous, so I need for them to have plenty of opportunity for that. I'm sorry if it's not to your liking._

_To Twilightspaz, you and your friends talk about Bella Hale at school?? LOL. For some reason, I feel very happy about that. Good to know that my measly fan fiction could garner your attention like that. Thanks for R&R!_

_Well, that's it. I don't want to pester you for reviews, but please do. They really are better than coffee when it comes to writing this story, and that's saying a lot coming from a java junkie. Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_Juliet._


	29. Hormonally Charged Teenagers

_**A/N:**__ Let the funny high school/hormonal teenagers interactions with the Cullens begin!_

_P.S. Some of this is repeated in the beginning, because it's in Edward's POV. But only the office scene and the one in Spanish class._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

Bella was incredibly nervous for her first day in Forks High. Not only was she going to be in high school as a human for the last time, she was also going back to the little town where she was born.

I had seen the conversation she'd had with Rosalie in her mind, and I could hear Jasper's thoughts on her raging emotions in his.

To calm her down slightly, I had gotten her a new charm for today. The others were already in Rose's M3, waiting for Bella and I. She had dashed up the stairs, tripping three times along the way, to her room. Alice had seen that she was getting her charm bracelet. The one that I had given her.

I knew she only wore that whenever she felt she needed luck.

I smiled, fingering the charm I had gotten for her in my pocket. I caught up with Bella too easily. She was in her room, her jewelry box open. She had already worn her bracelet, and was holding it in front of her eyes, staring at it.

I loved the soft smile that made its way on her lips as she scrutinized every charm. Her eyes finally fell on the crystal angel I'd given her. It was the last charm on the bracelet. I'd put it on the bracelet when she was asleep, when we were apart.

I shoved away the negative memory and called out her name. Bella jumped and turned around. When she saw me, her heart sputtered and went wild. I smiled wider and stepped into the room. Bella blushed, looking down shyly.

I wondered if she knew that I could hear her heartbeat. I'd never told her that I could, that I found it soothing. I didn't think the others told her they could hear it as well. I probably should, but it would only embarrass her, I knew.

"Do you wish for a little luck today, Bella?" I asked, stopping directly in front of her.

She looked up and smiled a little at me. She looked slightly abashed. Why was that? Was she embarrassed at blushing when I entered? Or at being caught looking for her bracelet?

"Yes," she replied, biting her lip. She always did that whenever she was nervous. What was she nervous about? "I'm nervous, I suppose."

I smiled, pulling the charm out of my pocket and placing it on her bracelet. My movements were too fast for her human eye to catch so I supposed it would have looked as though I had merely touched the bracelet and nothing more.

When I pulled away, though, Bella could see the new charm I'd gotten for her. She raised her arm so that she could have a better look at the charm. It was a four-leaf clover I had bought for her. It was made entirely of diamonds.

A beautiful blush crept back to her cheeks and I stared at it, amazed by her beauty. "Thank you," she whispered.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room. "Trust me, Bella," I said softly. "There's nothing for you to be nervous about." I leaned in and pressed my lips to her hair. I inhaled the sweet, intoxicating scent of Bella. Strawberries in her shampoo and freesia.

Bella blushed a deeper shade of scarlet and I smirked to myself. It was good to know I could cause this reaction from her, even if she couldn't fathom why.

We met Esme and Carlisle in the living room. Carlisle was getting his things ready for his trip to the hospital. Esme hugged Bella and kissed her good luck. Carlisle did, too.

When we went to the garage, Rose's M3 was still present. The engine was running, but the car was stationary. They were waiting for us.

I reluctantly let Bella go, and pulled open the passenger door. She glared at me, pouting her lips in that adorable way of hers, then slid inside. I chuckled to myself and moved at vampire speed. She had gotten so used to us moving this quickly that it took a lot to scare her. Even Emmett couldn't startle her anymore.

Finally, we pulled away from the garage and made our way to Forks.

******************************************************************************

Due to our driving, or as Bella said 'maniacal speeding down the road, not caring if you hit a squirrel or create a trail of fire behind', we arrived at Forks High in a few meager minutes. Alice and Jasper led the pack, Jasper's arm slung protectively around Alice's shoulder. Emmett and Rosalie were in the middle, hands entwined. Bella and I walked behind them.

I sensed that Bella was anxious and wary about people looking at us. It was probably because of the cars and because of, well, our beauty. I didn't want to sound vain, but it was true. By being a vampire, our features were changed slightly. We became beautiful to lure our victims easily, to captivate them enough to draw them in and kill them, ultimately.

And then there was Bella. She was so beautiful, so pure. How could they not stare at her? Her mahogany hair, her warm brown eyes, her strawberry lips, her creamy skin…If that didn't draw you in, I didn't know what could.

She was, dare I say, even more enticing that the most beautiful siren in the world. She was enchanting.

And that was why, along with the usual thoughts on my siblings and I, I heard the lurid thoughts on Bella.

Bella sidled closer to me, almost as if she, too, was uncomfortable with the thoughts around us. I knew she couldn't hear the minds of these incompetent children, but she had always been perceptive.

We stepped into the office, which was much warmer than I had anticipated. There were pots of plants in ever corner of the room.

A woman in her forties, maybe, was sitting behind the desk. We stepped closer to her. Alice leaned both her elbows on the desk and greeted her.

The woman looked up, startled by Alice's chiming voice and her sweet scent. I would have laughed but it would have just seemed inappropriate.

I watched in amusement as her eyes took in the sight of us. Six beautiful teenagers. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight. Then she saw me, and her heartbeat quickened. Emmett stifled his laughter, but I could hear the rumbling in his chest, too low for a human to hear. He nudged me in the ribs, cracking a silly smile at me, as if to say 'Your admirer?'

I ignored him.

"Hello," Mrs. Cope, the receptionist, stuttered out.

_Oh, God. So beautiful…How is that even possible? He has to be a model or something. Unless I'm dreaming again. My God, this is so unreal. Who's that girl he's got his arm around? Oh, my. Are they together? Dear, dear. Take a hold of yourself! He's seventeen years old, for crying out loud! Your own son is older than him! But he's so…_

I grimaced, tuning out her thoughts. It wasn't so easy considering she was practically screaming them in her head.

Bella didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going on in Mrs. Cope's mind. She turned her head and pressed her full lips to my shoulder.

I held back a gasp, looking down at her. She was so beautiful, so warm…Her lips were pressed against my shoulder. I hadn't felt that since that night at the pond.

I knew she was only doing it now to keep herself from laughing out loud, but I couldn't help but want to lift her up and kiss her soundly.

I took in shallow breaths, focusing on the wall in front of me. I should think of things that weren't alluring in any way.

How about mud wrestling with Jasper and Emmett? One of Alice's crazy shopping sprees during Christmastime when she would drag us all out to the mall so we could be a part of the madness? Or Emmett's endless teasing about my being a sexually repressed male…No, no, go back to Alice's crazy shopping sprees!

Bella saw my discomfort and reached out to take my hand. Her soft warm fingers gripped my cold hand and squeezed softly. I was just about driven insane by now.

Jasper could feel the emotions raging in me and laughed in his mind. _Control yourself, man. You're acting like an actual human boy overcome by hormones_, he teased.

I growled low in my throat, but he merely ignored me, and used his gift to calm me down. I tipped my head slightly in his direction to thank him.

_You're welcome._

Rosalie cleared her throat, interrupting Mrs. Cope's ogling, and told her that we were the new students. Wouldn't that have been obvious? In a school so small, surely she knew practically every student that attended Forks High.

Apparently, our beauty had rendered her speechless. Out loud and in her own mind. So much so that she had forgotten the new students were arriving today.

She handed us our schedules, maps of the school ground and slips of papers for the teachers to sign.

_Honestly, he's too young…Isabella Hale? Hmm, I wonder. Wasn't there an Isabella Swan who was adopted…I'd have to check with Daisy and see if she remembers. Oh, poor thing. I wonder if he's her brother. Then, maybe…Too young!_

We finally stepped out of the office, and I sighed in relief. Bella noticed and giggled, an amused expression on her face.

My annoyance at Mrs. Cope immediately vanished, only to be replaced by the desire to make Bella as happy as humanly - and inhumanly, in my case - as possible.

So I scowled at her playfully. "You didn't have a forty year old woman arguing with herself about how attractive you were in her mind," I said, crossing my arms across my chest, as if I were being defensive.

Bella smiled mischievously at me. "It would be incredibly strange if I did, Edward," she said sweetly, and laughed.

I rolled my eyes and shot Emmett a look. "I hope you know that you're to blame for that smart mouth of hers," I said to him, in a voice too low and in a pace too fast for Bella's human ears to catch.

He smirked at me. _I'll take it as a compliment._

Bella and Alice were sophomores, like me. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were juniors. I compared my schedules to Bella to see if I had any classes with her. I had English, Biology and Spanish with her.

I would have to try and get Mrs. Cope to change my schedule so that it was identical to Bella's.

I could always get what I want, of course, simply by charming my way through lies. It was a part of being what I was. But the thought of flirting with Mrs. Cope was incredibly disconcerting.

I had first period Calculus and Bella had homeroom with Alice, so I waved them off sadly. I decided to keep an eye on Bella throughout the day. Who knew what sort of dangerous thoughts would come out of the human males in the school? It was bad enough with Rosalie and Alice, but I knew those two could handle themselves. Emmett and Jasper always scared odd the children, anyway. But Bella was so fragile, so weakly human. I needed to ensure that she was safe.

I followed her with Alice's mind as I made my way to Calculus, not really seeing where I was going. I walked quickly and slid into my seat five minutes before class.

I saw the lustful looks the boys were giving Bella, and clenched my jaw angrily. How dare they look at her like that? I could only imagine what it was like in their heads.

"Hi," I heard someone greet Bella.

Alice looked up and saw the stranger. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a little boy to me. His features were too boyish.

"Hello," Bella replied hesitantly. I saw her exchange a look with Alice, worried. I quickly peeked into the boy's head, growling quietly as I did so. Luckily no one around me noticed.

_Wow, she's just so…_Pretty_. I bet I could get her to go out with me. Yeah, I mean I've got looks. I'm Newton, for God's sake. Just step up to the game, man. I can do this. I am a hunky dude. I'm a badass hunky dude!_

I rolled my eyes at his inane thoughts, but my fists clenched involuntarily at the idea of someone else asking out my Bella. Would she accept? What if this was the kind of boy she'd prefer? What if she liked his blonde hair and his blue eyes and the way his eyes were looking at her…

I really needed to stop myself from jumping out of my seat, barging to Bella's homeroom class and snapping the boy's neck. How dare Newton think of her that way? How dare he place her in one of his vile fantasies?

"I'm Mike Newton," he introduced himself to Bella.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Was that a hint of pride in his voice as he said his name? A moment later, his thoughts informed me of why he felt so prideful. His parents owned a sporting goods store in town. Apparently, that was a big thing in Forks. He was, also, quite popular in school. I supposed he thought his popularity would gain some attention from Bella.

I noticed from the way Bella looked that she, too, didn't understand why he was so proud of his name. But she didn't question it. Instead, she shook his outstretched hand and said her name. Mike Newton held on to her hand longer than a casual handshake would require, and Bella pulled her hand back, blushing.

Someone I hadn't noticed walked up to me and leaned forward. I blinked up at her. It was a blonde girl, smiling at me in what I supposed was a coy manner. I fought the urge to run out of the classroom and duck for cover.

"Hi," she said, her voice low. I raised an eyebrow. "My name is Lauren Mallory." _Oh, my God. He's so totally hot._

"Edward Cullen," I said curtly, not bothering to show any politeness, nor hide the annoyance that she had interrupted my spying time on Bella and this Newton kid.

She smiled wider, as if getting my name in return was some sort of accomplishment for her. "Do you play sports?" she asked, her beady eyes running up and down my upper body. "You look like you play sports." _If I snag him first, Jess would be totally, like, mad. Ha! As if she stands a chance when _I'm _here. He wants me._

I shrugged. "I don't," I answered, to her question and to her unspoken thought. Not that she could know that, of course.

She started asking me something else, but I tuned her out. I didn't want to listen to her voice, nor did I want to listen to her thoughts. They were too disturbing for me.

I started the connection again, and saw that Bella had hid her face with her curtain of hair, and had begun doodling. Even through this child's mind, I could see her red forehead. She must have felt extremely grateful that Alice had let her wear her hair down to school today.

Newton wasn't done talking to her, though. "So, you're new here?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course she was new here! Had he ever seen her before? In a school this small, surely even a nitwit like him would have noticed that she was new.

Bella looked uncomfortable as she answered, though I caught the amusement in her eyes. "As is my sister," I heard her blurt out, nodding to Alice. I knew she hated the attention. If she had hated it when Carmen, someone she knew dearly, wanted to draw her portrait, what more when people she didn't know suddenly decided to pay attention to her?

She would hate that aspect of being a vampire. Everywhere we went, people would stare. Questions, admiration, lust…It was all a factor. I'd heard it all in their thoughts. Bella was already exquisitely beautiful as a human. I couldn't even begin to think how amazing she would look when she was one of us.

I controlled my unneeded breathing which had gotten heavy and labored all of a sudden and got back to listening in.

Newton looked at Alice for a brief second. His eyes showed his admiration for her, as did his mind. _Whoa, she's hot. She's so pale, though…Paler than Bella, even._

Alice chose this moment to smile widely at him, showing him her white, sharp teeth at the same time. I could practically feel the fear running through his veins. I laughed silently to myself.

I would have found it all much more amusing - had he not focused on Bella again.

"Do you need any help around the school?" Newton asked eagerly. "I could always show you around, help you with homework and stuff." _Oh, yeah, baby. I can definitely tutor her…Privately. Maybe if I offer her to come back home with me to 'study'…_

Bella looked horrified, but Newton was too caught up in his lust and his horrid fantasies to notice. "Thanks for the offer, Mike," I heard her said shakily. "But I-"

The teacher in Bella's class interrupted her declination of his offer. She shrugged at him, and turned to focus much too intently on the teacher.

Newton turned back in his seat some time later, but he was still a little stunned. _But? Did she say 'but'? Damn the teacher. Why did they always have to have bad timing…Maybe she just has some other plan. She just moved her after all. But I didn't even tell her _when_. Ugh, I hate this. I wish I could just read her mind and tell if she likes me or not._

I smirked to myself.

Then I realized that Lauren had taken a seat next to me and was desperately trying to catch my attention. It was easy to ignore at first, but then her hand was running down my arm.

My heard turned to her, and my eyes flashed. Lauren retracted her arm and settled back in her seat, alarmed.

I turned away from her and stared absentmindedly at the clock. Just a few hours and I'd be with Bella again.

******************************************************************************

The day was pure torture. Bella went from homeroom to World History, Newton tagging along. Apparently, he had the same class as her. Alice had French class, so she couldn't keep an eye on Bella like I wanted her to. I ambled to my next class without really paying attention.

I was too busy staying connected to Newton's mind. The child annoys me to no end, but I couldn't just stop listening in. I had to know if was planning on trying anything inappropriate. His fantasies were too explicit for my liking, though. I kept jumping to other people's minds whenever I could.

It was hard enough to keep up with the thoughts surrounding Bella, but the teenage girls around me were making it harder still. Their thoughts made me incredibly uncomfortable.

_Oh, my God. I can't believe how hot he is._

_I'll take a picture on my cell and post it online._

_I can't wait to talk to Lauren about him - I know she has the inside scoop._

_Maybe if I ask him out…_

Bella had sat herself down in World History, but class hadn't started yet. To my extreme irritation, Mike Newton was still with her. He had sat himself at the edge of her desk boldly.

Out of nowhere, a tall, dark skinned boy came up to Bella and smiled at her. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm Tyler Crowley. You're Isabella Hale, right?"

"Bella," she corrected. I smiled gently. I knew she hated being called 'Isabella'. It was too formal. It, also, reminded her of when Esme, Rosalie or Carlisle were angry with her. They used her full name whenever she pulled pranks with Emmett and ended up getting into a lot of trouble.

This Tyler boy opened his mouth to say something but a nasal voice spoke first. My brows furrowed. I recognized that nasal voice. "Weren't you Isabella Swan?"

Bella flinched visibly, and turned to see a blonde girl. I gritted my teeth. Lauren Mallory! Why did I have to be so mean to her? She was probably doing this because she hated that I hadn't paid attention to her.

I quickly jumped into her thoughts to sneak a peek. _She's ordinary compared to Edward Cullen. Well, they're not related, so…But talking to my Tyler? Unacceptable!_

I sighed, frustrated. Her Tyler? Wasn't it her who had been more than willing to go out with me just less than an hour ago?

Lauren stopped at Bella's desk and draped an arm possessively around Tyler's shoulder. She looked Bella over as if she were some disgusting piece of meat. I growled low in my throat, and the guy next to me shot me a wary look.

Tyler, on the other hand, wasn't so appreciative of Lauren all over him. He shrugged her off gently, which only angered Lauren more. _God, I hope Bella doesn't think Lauren and I are together. That'll just ruin my chances with her._

"Not anymore," Bella said. Her voice might have sounded polite to anyone, but I knew the anger and sadness behind them. I gripped the edge of my desk tightly. I wanted to go to Bella and wrap my arms around her, comfort her and just be there for her.

Lauren introduced herself, her voice cold. Bella looked confused as to why Lauren was acting so angry towards her.

_Look at her. She's so…Ordinary. But all everyone's talking about is her and her siblings! They're taking my spotlight!_

So vain. She would hate Rosalie, too, no doubt.

"So, what, like, you're adopted?" Lauren asked Bella, her voice dismissive.

"Um, yes?" Bella looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but where Lauren was.

I heard another voice, also familiar, and realized that it was that Jessica girl. "Oh, back off, Lauren," Jessica said, standing next to Mike Newton. I didn't miss how she leaned in closer to him, and how he leaned slightly back. "Jessica," she introduced herself.

_She's only been here for a few hours, but all everyone's talk about is her, her siblings and the Cullens. I wonder if she'll become friends with me. I'll outrun Lauren in the spotlight for sure if she does._

I huffed. Was there anyone in the entire school who wasn't out to get something from Bella?

The second bell rung, and Newton, Jessica, Tyler and Lauren all went back to their seats.

Once second period was over, a girl with curly brown hair came up to me. She had an excited look on her face, but it was nothing compared to Alice's whenever there was a shoe sale at the mall.

Shoe sale? I mentally smacked myself. I really should start hanging around my brothers instead of my sisters. But Bella's alright. I wanted to be with her all the time if I could.

Which brought me back to my schedule and how I wanted to change it to match Bella's identically.

"Hi!" she greeted me.

I looked down at her and forced myself to smile politely.

"I'm Jessica!"

I wondered for a brief, uninterested moment if this was the Jess Lauren Mallory had talked about. "Edward Cullen."

"So, you're, like, totally new here, right?"

Well, I could see the similarities between her and Lauren. "Yes."

"I was kinda wondering if-"

"Oh, Edward?" I turned towards this new voice in relief. It was Jasper, standing by the door, looking amused. From his thoughts, I saw that Alice had sent him. Apparently, Jessica would have stuck to my side chattering incessantly until I would most likely kill her if Jasper hadn't shown up.

I made a face but pulled it back into my composed mask before Jessica or any other human could see. I mentally thanked Jasper, knowing he could feel my gratitude. "Hey, Jasper," I said coolly. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Jessica," I said politely, and made my way out of the classroom with him as quickly as I humanly could.

"You alright, man?" Jasper laughed, clapping me on the back. "There's a lot more disgust coming from you today than any other first day of high school."

"Fine," I snapped.

Bella was now currently being introduced to yet another boy, Eric Yorkie, by Jessica. He was a tall, lanky boy with greasy black hair and an unhealthy complexion. His thoughts were only on how incredibly pretty Bella was, and how he wanted to date her…And do things that boys did to girls on dates.

I groaned, shaking my head. _Seriously, are you okay?_

I opened my eyes just as I was about to crash into a freshman. She looked stunned, and absolutely love struck. I gave her a small, apologetic smile and continued walking, ignoring her thoughts altogether.

"Bella's got boys surrounding her," I said through gritted teeth. Jasper was still confused. _So what?_ "Boys who want to…To…" I thought of a more appropriate way to say it. "_Date _her," I finished. It was a very huge understatement to say that all they wanted to do was take her out someplace nice.

Jasper laughed. "Edward, relax. You know she won't fall for their human tricks. She's too smart for that," he said. When his words didn't work, he started to use his gift on me. I snarled at him low enough only for him to hear and shook off the calming waves he was sending at me.

Jasper shrugged, and we went into the Spanish classroom. We sat down at the back. The thoughts of the students and, dare I even say, the teacher hit me like a ton of bricks. I was sure Jasper wasn't doing all that well with all the lust and admiration coming off of them.

_Man I wish Alice is here._

I rolled my eyes and slapped him on the head to shake him out of his fantasies. He grinned sheepishly at me, apologetic.

Not long after, Bella rushed into the classroom. The thoughts coming from the students were even worse when they saw us. There was envy from the girls, and lust from the boys.

Bella slipped into the empty seat next to me. I was too busy trying to control my temper so I wouldn't kill anyone, but Jasper noticed her expression.

"Horrible first day so far?" he teased her.

I had already seen her first day so far, so I knew it hadn't gone smoothly at all.

Bella shook her head, refusing to answer. She raised an eyebrow at the look on my face. "Edward?" her soft, melodic voice brought me back. "Are you okay?"

I was still too angry to answer. If I unclenched my jaw, the only thing that would come out of my mouth was an outraged roar. The thoughts of the boys in the room were filled with sexual fantasies about Bella. Jasper, too, was irked that people were thinking like that about his baby sister. He was hiding his anger much better than me, though.

"He gets like this every first day in a new school," I heard Jasper said. I realized that Bella must have asked him why I was acting so strangely. "The thoughts of hormonally charged teenagers get to him. A lot," Jasper was chuckling by now.

Well, that wasn't a complete lie. They did get to me, and I normally was uptight in a new school. But this was different. This was magnified about a million times.

I scowled at Jasper, annoyed. I tried to focus my breathing, and control my temper. My eyes were narrowed into angry slits. The humans who looked at me now only felt fear.

I felt something poke my arm, and realized that it was Bella. "At least you don't have three guys following you around everywhere, and a girl who hates your guts," she whispered conspiratorially. Her voice was so comical, as was her face, that I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

I smiled at her, my anger vanishing. Jasper was snickering in his mind, amused by my reaction to Bella, but I ignored him. "At least we have lunch next," I said.

When we stepped out into the hallway for lunch, Alice appeared at Jasper's side. Their fingers entwined with each other's and they smiled at one another, leading the way to the cafeteria.

I grinned a little at the love between my siblings. I used to hate being the odd one out in a family full of lovebirds, but knowing that Bella and I would be together so soon made me feel a lot happier about it.

Bella wanted to put some things into her locker, and Alice insisted I went along with her and Jasper to the cafeteria. I couldn't understand why, and Jasper didn't know either. Alice was translating her French textbook into Korean in her mind, so I had no idea what vision she had had.

"Alice, if she's in trouble…" I growled.

Alice rolled her eyes and glared at me. "Do you really think I'd let my own sister deal with trouble on her own?" she snapped at me. "Just relax, Edward, you're killing my happy mood."

We waited for Bella outside the cafeteria, while I anxiously checked the minds of whomever was near Bella. Jessica was right next to her, chatting away about some girl neither Bella nor I knew or were interested in knowing.

I saw Eric Yorkie going up to her, and leaning against the locker next to her as she slipped some books out of her backpack and into her locker. He completely ignored Jessica.

"So I was thinking if you wanted to go out with me sometime_-"_

"Hey Bella! Hey, Eric, hey Jess," Mike Newton said, as he approached the three. _Yorkie's making his move on Bella? No way. This is my girl, my opportunity. Not his!_

Eric stood up a little straighter and grinned at Newton. "Hey, Mikey. You met my home girl, Bella?" he asked smugly.

Newton's thoughts were plagued by jealousy as he answered. "Oh, _your _home girl?" he teased, but his mind was red with anger.

Before either Eric could answer, or Bella could blush, Tyler ran up from nowhere and kissed Bella on the cheek. "My girl," he said, grinning. He leaned away from a shocked Bella, and pushed Newton into Eric before running past them into the cafeteria.

Jessica recovered from her shock first and said, "Oh my God. It's like the first grade all over again and you're the shiny new toy."

It took both Emmett and Jasper to restrain me from going after them, especially Tyler. They didn't understand why I was so angry, of course, until Alice told them. By then, all three of us were angry, as was Rosalie.

Bella came around the corner and saw us. Jessica's eyes widened at the sight of the five of us, and she giggled as she passed me. Emmett and Jasper shot me amused looks, but my eyes were only fixed on Bella. She was still blushing red from the encounter with Tyler.

Jessica waved goodbye to Bella, and went inside the cafeteria.

Once she was out of earshot, Rosalie shot to Bella. She cradled Bella's face in her hands. "Oh, my baby!" she cried.

If possible, Bella's face reddened even more. "Alice saw, huh?" she mumbled.

I cleared my throat, deciding not to give myself away. I highly doubted Bella would appreciate the fact that I had been spying on her the whole morning. "Yes," I answered quickly.

"Are you alright?" Rosalie asked, concern evident in her voice and her actions as she smoothed back Bella's hair.

Bella rolled her eyes and attempted to push Rosalie away. "_Mom_!" she cried, embarrassed. "Stop it! It was a harmless kiss. It wasn't like he tried to kill me or anything."

"Rose, a little discretion," Alice giggled.

Rosalie composed herself, but couldn't help from smoothing Bella's hair once more and kissing her on the forehead.

Emmett and Rosalie held on to each other's hands as they led us into the cafeteria. Alice and Jasper went next. I went up to Bella and wrapped my arm around her. She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" I asked her, worried.

Bella nodded and smiled tiredly. "Yeah, it's just…Weird. I've never been to Forks High before, obviously, but just being back in Forks…I can't remember all that much, but it still feels weird," she said, biting her lip.

I rubbed my hand up and down her shoulder soothingly. "It'll be alright, Bella," I said gently. "It'll get easier."

She nodded, walking with me in silence. I saw Emmett and Rosalie making a beeline for the lunch line. Alice and Jasper followed suit. While walking, Jasper twirled Alice around once, making her giggle. I rolled my eyes, sharing a smile with Bella, and walked behind them.

"Isn't this a total waste of food?" she asked, as all of us got trays of food.

Emmett snickered as we headed to an empty table. Well, almost empty. There was a small boy who was reading a comic book at the end, but that wasn't a problem. He was wearing glasses and a tweed jacket. He looked even easier to scare than the rest of the humans, and I didn't think that was possible.

"Well, now we've got you to finish it," he said, smiling at her.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't eat that much, Em," she reminded him.

"Why not? When I was human, I ate a lot more than this."

"Of course you did."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Emmett frowned. We reached the table, and the small boy looked up at us. He was clearly intimidated, pushing his glasses up his nose with shaking hands. Emmett bared his teeth at him, making him shake more. "Move," he growled.

It was the fastest I had ever seen a human run. I snorted uncharacteristically, but Bella frowned at Emmett. "Em! Did you have to be so mean?" she chided.

Emmett shrugged, "It's fun."

We took out seats next to our respective mates. In my case, next to my future mate. She hadn't gotten a tray of her own since I'd gotten one. She hated wasting food. She reached over and took the lemonade from my tray, twisting the cap and sipping from the bottle.

"So how's today been?" Rosalie asked. From her thoughts, I saw that she was concerned Bella had been reminded of who she had been. I winced, knowing that it was true.

Bella shrugged, not answering as she traced lines on the faux wood grain printed on the table top. "Okay," she answered softly.

Rosalie didn't buy it for a second, and reached out to clasp Bella's small hand in hers. "Bella," she said seriously. "Remember what we talked about?"

Bella swallowed and nodded her head. "I know, I just…"

"Lauren made you feel bad?" I guessed. My eyes widened as I realized my mistake.

Bella's head snapped to me, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Uh, Alice saw it," I said quickly.

But Bella could see through my lies any day. "No, she didn't," Bella glared. "Were you listening in?"

I bit my lip and looked away from her.

My family were amused. Emmett was laughing in his mind, _Busted, dude._ Alice was planning a shopping trip to make Bella 'feel better'. Rosalie was trying to see how far I could go before telling Bella the truth. Jasper was betting with Rosalie.

"Edward," Bella called out angrily. I turned to look into her frustrated eyes and sighed.

I supposed Jasper would win the bet. "Yes, alright?" I said, defeated. "I was listening in."

Bella looked outraged. "Edward!" she gasped. "How could you do something like that!?"

I shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure you had a good day," I said sheepishly. I smiled at her, knowing that her resolve would melt the moment that I did. She might have learnt how to get me to do anything for her by pouting her lips, or giving me an innocent look, or just by being…Her. But I knew how to get my way, too.

Bella covered her eyes. "Don't even _try _the smile, Edward. I'm not forgiving you that easily," she said, turning away from me. "You know, you might not know the meaning of privacy, but I like it. I can't believe you just went around today-"

I took her by the shoulders and spun her around slightly so that she was facing me again. Before she had the chance to cover her eyes, I held her hands and spoke lest she shut them on her own accord.

"I'm sorry, alright?" I said quietly. "I really just wanted to make sure you were having a good day. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to make it better if you weren't. I knew it was hard for you to come back here," I explained.

Bella sighed, looking down. According to Jasper, her anger was ebbing, leaving nearly no trace of it whatsoever.

"Am I forgiven?"

Bella thought about it, her nose wrinkling in that way it did whenever she was seriously considering a question. "Yes," she said finally. "If you follow me to the mall for Alice's crazy shopping trips for a month," she finished, cracking an evil smile. "_And _you stop listening in, of course."

I groaned, shaking my head. "You've spent too much time with Emmett," I told her, smiling back. It was too infectious not to.

She shrugged, but narrowed her eyes at me while she smiled. "Do we have a deal?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I considered. "How about if I just follow you to the mall?" I bargained. She glared at me, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "Please? You know I can't help listening in…It's my nature," I grinned.

Bella rolled her eyes at me. "Fine. Mall. _Two _months!" she threw her hands up in the air.

I nodded my head. "It's fine by me," I said quickly.

Rosalie was huffing impatiently. "Now that _that's _all cleared up," she interrupted us. "What exactly did this Lauren do?"

Bella shrank back into me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. She turned to me, and laid her head in the crook of my neck. "Nothing, mom," she whispered. "Don't worry about it."

"Bella…"

"Really. I felt bad for about two seconds, then everything's fine. Really," she said again, one hand coming up to rest at my torso, gripping my shirt in her fist.

"Rose, just drop it," I said, meeting her angry glare coolly. "She _is _fine about it," I assured her. Bella was much too mature to let things like that bother her. And even if they did bother her, she would talk to me about it later on when she was ready.

I didn't want to push her to talk, especially not in a cafeteria full of students.

"Hey, Bella," I heard someone call. Bella's head moved about a fraction of an inch, but she didn't move away from my embrace. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her tighter and kissed the top of her hair.

Two people approached our table. I recognized them as Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. Mike was eyeing me with envy and Jessica was eyeing Bella with envy. I shared a knowing look with Jasper and smirked.

"Hey, guys," Bella smiled at them, her head still rested on my shoulder.

I supposed she felt so comfortable doing this because we had been in each other's embraces for years. But did she feel the difference? Was it why her heart fluttered so wildly in her chest? Or was it for another reason?

"So, Bella," Jessica said, smiling at the rest of the table. Her eyes came back to me, though. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your family?"

Bella nodded her head slightly. "Sure. That's Alice and Jasper. Rosalie, Jasper's twin, and Emmett. And this is Edward," she lifted her head up slightly from my shoulder to smile at me. I smiled back at her, captivated by her sparkling brown eyes.

When her head dropped back to my shoulder, I turned my head slightly to rest my chin on the top of her head.

"That's nice…You're all from Alaska, right?" Newton asked, his eyes flicking to our pale faces.

"That's right," Alice chirped, her tinkling laugh followed shortly. Jasper pulled her closer to him, kissing her full on the mouth.

Jessica's eyes widened at that, and even Newton stopped staring at Bella long enough to gape.

Bella cleared her throat, interrupting Jasper's and Alice's make-out session. I sighed. Leave it to my siblings to start showing too much affections around one another in public. Emmett and Rosalie were already looking at each other like they usually do before…Well, before the action behind the scenes took place.

Alice giggled, batting her lashes at Jasper. _Ooh, I love my Southern man_, she sighed in her thoughts.

"You're, like, _together_?" Jessica asked rudely.

Bella nodded her head. "Yeah. Jazz and Alice are together, and Em and Rose are, too," she waved her hand in Emmett's and Rosalie's direction. Rosalie grinned and draped her arm around Emmett's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. Emmett turned towards her with a predatory look in his eyes.

Bella sighed and smiled at Jessica and Newton. "You'll have to excuse them. Their control is pretty much nonexistent," she joked, trying to divert the humans' attention.

"Is that even legal?" Jessica asked, eyes still glued to the two couples.

"Rosalie and Alice aren't related to Emmett and Jasper. Only Rose and Jazz are related, so it's okay," Bella explained.

_It's still weird…Wait, is she with Edward Cullen, then? I mean, at first I thought it's like a sister hugs a brother. I mean, it looks like more, but they're all adopted by the Cullens, right? But if Rosalie and Alice are with Emmett and Jasper…I'll ask her._

Before she had a chance to, Newton sat in the empty chair next to Bella and smiled at her. _Let's see how she resists the Newton charm!_

"So, Bella," he said in what I supposed was his attempt at being seductive.

Bella looked at him in alarm and shot me a 'help me' look. I chuckled quietly. As sadistic as it was, I was glad Bella was suffering instead of enjoying being in Newton's company. I hated that he was around her at all.

Newton didn't catch on to her obvious discomfort. "Do you think we could maybe go to the movies this weekend? Lauren-" Bella winced slightly at Lauren's name. "-also has a party this Friday…Maybe you want to come and-"

"Are you hitting on my _sister_?" Emmett boomed.

Half the cafeteria turned to look at us.

"_Emmett_!" Bella hissed, her face turning red. "Jasper, do something!" she said, pleading, as Emmett started to stand.

To her surprise, Jasper helped Emmett. I was the one who pushed Emmett back into his chair. "I think you should walk away, kid," Jasper growled.

Newton looked intimidated by them, but his thoughts were spurred on by the fact that Bella had protested her brothers' behavior towards him. He placed a hand on Bella's arm and leaned forward.

I growled, shoving his arm away and glared at him. He recoiled and stood up so quickly, I thought he was going to have a head rush. "Do _not _touch her," I snarled.

He nodded his head, turning to walk away as quickly as he could without embarrassing himself by tripping or wetting his pants. Jessica smiled at Bella, waving, before walking away.

_Wow, look at his reaction to Mike asking her out…They're definitely into each other. I'd have to ask her in gym._

"Guys!" Bella groaned, shaking her head. "Why did you do that?"

I looked at her, shocked and hurt at the same time. "Don't tell me you actually wanted to go on a…_date _with him?" I asked, scowling.

Bella shook her head. "Of course I don't. But you've got to let me handle it. You were yelling and growling. It's not even normal," she glared at the three of us.

"Bella," Rosalie said seriously. "You're lucky Edward didn't kill the boy, you know?"

Bella shot a look at me. "Yes, what was that, Edward?" she asked, bewildered. "You looked so angry. And why are your eyes black? Didn't you go hunting yesterday?"

I sighed, closing my eyes and forcing myself to relax. I gripped Bella to me tighter and focused on her scent. Jasper, sensing my anger, sent me calming waves.

I felt the anger ebbing away and opened my eyes. Bella looked into my topaz eyes and smiled a little, satisfied.

"I'm sorry," I smiled at her. "I just feel very…_Protective _of you," I frowned, thinking of the boys in gym, and any other class I wasn't taking with her.

Bella laughed. "No kidding," she teased. With sparkling eyes, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. If I could have blushed, I would be redder than Bella was at the moment. "Thank you," she smiled.

Bella stood up and walked over to the lunch line to get a pudding - she had gotten a sweet tooth because of Esme's constant baking, but Rosalie had forbidden us all to get the pudding to satisfy Bella's craving. She had flinched at the idea of Bella devouring five puddings.

I had laughed at it. Rosalie might be concerned about Bella eating healthy, but I wanted her to be able to enjoy every human thing possible before it all ended for her.

I heard her bump into someone accidentally. "Oh, sorry!" they both said at the same time. All five of us looked up to see who it was.

It was a girl with brown hair and kind brown eyes. She smiled brightly at Bella, who returned the smile. "I'm Angela Weber," she introduced herself.

Bella shook her extended hand. "Bella Hale."

"Hey, I know you might not remember me at all, 'cuz it was a long time ago and all, but we went to the same pre-school when…Well, you know," Angela said, shifting uncomfortably. Her kind smile was still in place, though.

For the first time, the mention of her past didn't led Bella to flinch. Instead, she looked curiously at Angela. "Oh, well…I think I remember a little, but nothing significant, though. I'm sorry," Bella said. She really did sound sorry, too.

I peeked inside Angela's mind to see what she was thinking. _Poor Bella. But she looks happy, though. Her new family must be really nice. They all look really beautiful. Bella fits in with them. I hope we get to spend some time together. It has to be hard being back here, after all that has happened. I should ask her if she needs any help or anything…_

I smiled at her kindness. She reminded me of Bella a little. It didn't surprise me if she and Bella had been friends before, even at a young age. It would only make sense that two people so alike would be friends with one another.

"Yeah, me neither. I just remembered your name. My mom remembered more, so she mentioned it at dinner. I guess your arrival was kind of the gossip of the week," Angela laughed.

Bella grinned a little. "How'd your mom know we were coming?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"My mom works at the hospital. She's a nurse. Your dad works there, right? Dr. Cullen?"

Bella nodded her head. "Yes. That's him," she confirmed.

Someone called Angela's name and she turned around to wave at them. "Listen, if you need anything, you could always…You know, ask me," Angela said awkwardly.

Bella blushed and smiled at Angela. "Thanks. It was nice seeing you, Angela," she said, waving as she came back to the table with a cup of pudding.

Rosalie smiled at Bella as she sat down. "Feel better?" she asked.

Bella nodded and peeled open her pudding cup. "Yes, actually, I do," she smiled at me.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Mike was in my Biology class, as well, but since Edward was in it and sat next to me the whole time, he didn't dare come up to me.

Angela, too, was in Biology, and walked together with Edward and I. I kept remembering bits and pieces of my time with her. I remembered playing with her, holding hands with her on a class field trip due to that buddy program, going to her house to play while our mothers chatted…She was the dark haired girl I remembered.

I was glad that she was a kind person. I remembered being friends with her a little, but people changed in time. I was glad Angela was still a friendly girl.

I sat next to Edward, naturally. Mr. Banner didn't force us to stand up and recite our names and a mini introduction to ourselves, so it was fine.

Because Carlisle was my father, I had learnt a lot about Biology growing up. Due to this, I had been in an advanced placement program back in Alaska. As I flipped through the textbook, I realized that I knew most of the things. What I didn't know, I could understand quite easily.

I exhaled. This would be quite a boring year for Biology. Edward noticed my expression and leaned closer towards me. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I turned my head slightly to answer him, and was immediately caught in the intensity of his topaz gaze. His sweet breath washed over me like a tidal wave. I stopped breathing, my heart pounding faster. I broke out in a cold sweat, and my eyes blurred.

"Bella?" he asked, worried and confused.

I gasped, breathing in and out again. I looked away for a moment, then looked back at him. Great. Now he would think that I was insane or demented, or both.

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Sorry, I was just thinking of…Something."

He didn't seem to buy that, but he let it go. Thank God.

I nodded towards my Biology book. "I was just thinking that I already know most of the stuff in there. It would be boring to do everything all over again," I sighed, leaning my elbow on the counter and cupping my hand around the side of my throat.

Edward laughed, though I thought I saw his eyes flash momentarily towards my throat. "Try having taken the class fifty three times," he whispered, leaning closer to me.

I grinned, still light headed from his scent. I wondered why that was. I knew that vampires have a sweet scent that drew humans in for the kill. I was familiar with the scents of my entire family. But none of theirs compared to Edward's, not even by a little.

He smelled so…_Heavenly_. And when he leaned in like that…

I shook my head. I was clearly going insane. This was not the way to think about my best friend. Who had seen my grow up. Since I was six.

I could only be thankful that he hadn't found me sooner when I was still in diapers.

Mr. Banner started the class. It was the first day of school, so he only went through certain things, and let us watch a video. Nothing productive whatsoever.

After Biology, it was time for gym.

I could see Mike coming towards me, to ask me if I would walk with him. Maybe he had gym, too.

Edward must have read something in his mind that he didn't like, so he draped an arm around my shoulder and growled. "I'll walk you to gym, Bella," he said to me.

I nodded my head, grateful that I wouldn't have to endure Mike's puppy dog eyes. I really had no idea what to say to him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he seemed too friendly for my liking.

Too soon, we were in front of the gym. Edward smiled at me reassuringly and squeezed my shoulders once.

I turned to look at him seriously. "Edward, I know it's your nature and all," I said sarcastically. "But could you not peek during gym?" I pleaded.

"Bella-"

"I know I'm going to get hurt. We both know how clumsy I am. I'd just prefer it if you wouldn't see it, please?" I asked, pouting my lips at him.

He stared into my eyes, considering. "Yes, fine," he agreed before I could say anything else. Not that I could actually form a coherent sentence the way his eyes were penetrating me. "But-" he called out, before I could go through the doors in victory.

I groaned and turned back to look at him. "Just tell me if you're hurt later on, alright?" he pleaded.

I sighed, and nodded my head. "Fine. No peeking!" I tapped his nose playfully, and smiled.

Edward chuckled, then leaned down to kiss my forehead lightly. I felt my heart pound faster and the heat rushing to my face. This seemed to amuse Edward and I scowled at him, going through the door.

Why was I reacting like that? I sighed, shaking my head. This was just too confusing.

It was raining today. Shocker. Forks was the rainiest town in America, probably. I remembered it raining day in and day out when I lived here.

Coach Clapp wanted us to play volleyball in the court. I winced. Someone, excluding myself, would get seriously injured if they stood too close to me.

I changed quickly and got out onto the court. "Hey, Bella!" I heard Mike greeting me.

I sighed and turned to look at him. He was already in his shirt and shorts. "You excited?" he nodded towards the volleyball net.

I shook my head, laughing. "Most definitely not," I replied. He looked confused so I explained, "I'm not very graceful. Just a warning-stay very far away from me during the game unless you want to get hit."

Mike grinned. "Aw, come on. It can't be that bad."

Of course, twenty minutes later, he found out that it was that bad. He still stuck by my side, though, refusing to go anywhere. Not that I wasn't grateful for his friendship, I just wished he only had friendship on his mind.

I went through gym like the klutz that I was. I managed to hit three people four times, and myself five times. I was limping when coach finally blew the whistle.

I went into the changing room to change back into my clothes. I had mussed up my hair and I knew Alice would freak out, but who cared? I wanted to go home and soak myself in the tub. Filled to the brim with ice.

"Hey, Bella," Jessica greeted me as she came in.

I had just finished changing clothes and was getting a scrunchie out of my bag to tie my hair up. "Hey, Jess."

She opened her locker and got out her bag and clothes. She turned to me, a curious look on her face. "Are you dating Edward?"

I felt the familiar blush creeping on my face. "What?" I spluttered. "N-no! What gave you that idea?"

Jessica shrugged, a disbelieving look on her face. "Just the way you guys are with each other. I mean, I thought he was like your brother…He's not, right?"

I considered this. Edward? My brother? No, we'd never had a brother-sister relationship, not even when I was six. I'd always considered him as my best friend.

He was…Like my other half, to be honest. Nothing romantic about it, considering I was six years old. He just knew me better than I knew myself.

And I understood him. I didn't go through any of the things he did - hunting, feeling like a monster, his past. But I understood his feelings, his reasons, his ways. It was just the way it was.

And would a brother really have kissed his sister on the mouth? And would a sister have responded so eagerly before pulling back?

I shook my head at Jessica to answer her question before I got too caught up trying to explain my relationship with Edward to myself. "No. He's not my brother. Jasper and Emmett are, though. He's more…My best friend," I finished.

Jessica nodded her head. "So, does he have a girlfriend?" she asked slyly.

A shot of jealousy went through me and I was more than glad that Jasper wasn't here. Our little conversation had drew the attention of the other girls in the locker room. Whether they were discreet or crowded around us, it still made me uncomfortable.

Did Edward always attract this much attention from girls? Not that it bothered me. _No, not at all_, retorted the sarcastic voice in my head.

I pushed it back and stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

I really didn't want to be a part of the conversation. "No, he doesn't," I answered. "I have to go. Edward's waiting," I said, adding the last part as a small gratification. For what, I didn't know.

I could already see Jessica's attraction to Edward. I could already see the plan forming in her head, to 'get' Edward now that she knew for certain he was single. It annoyed me.

Before I could step out of the locker room, though, a girl I recognized as Monique Fisher stopped me. She was blushing as she asked, "Is Jasper single?"

I shook my head. I thought Jessica would have spread the rumors by now. "No, he's with Alice," I said.

Monique's face fell slightly. "Well…Could you just tell him I like him?"

I fought back my laughter. "Sure."

It must be hard to look at the Cullens' inhuman beauty and not fall for them, I realized. But did they really have to fall for Edward, of all people?

I shook that thought out of my head, and went out of the locker room. I wanted to leave before Mike saw me. I heard someone called my name and groaned inwardly. _Too late._

"Bella!" he huffed, as he caught up to me. "Do you want a ride home?" he asked eagerly.

I shook my head quickly and threw him a small smile. That only spurred him on. "I already have a ride," I said, hoping to dissuade his attempts.

"Well, ditch your ride. I'd really like to-"

We had reached the gym doors and I burst through it. Edward was leaning against the wall, an annoyed look on his face. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper were also standing there. But they merely looked amused.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. Maybe he could growl a little more and scare Mike off. He was really starting to get on my nerves with his insistence. "How was math?"

Edward cracked a smile at my obvious discomfort at Mike's flirting and I scowled a little at him. Here I was hoping he would distract Mike and he was laughing at me? Great. Just great!

Edward reached forward and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Boring," he replied smoothly, his velvet voice causing shivers to run down my spine. "How was gym?"

"Painful," I winced as I rubbed a tender spot on my forehead.

Edward laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I realized that he could probably read the events that transpired in Mike's head.

"Uh…Bye, Mike. See you tomorrow!" I waved at him, tugging at Edward's hand to move faster.

Edward was still chuckling. "Just so you know, I didn't do it on purpose," he told me, smiling. "When I asked about gym, your _boyfriend _there just thought about it and-"

"He's _not _my boyfriend!" I said, irritated. Was it just me or did Edward just smiled triumphantly for a second?

I remembered Monique's request and turned to Jasper, who was walking next to me. "Monique Fisher has a crush on you," I told him dutifully.

He raised an eyebrow at me, confused. "Who's that?" he asked blankly. Alice giggled next to him, kissing his cheek possessively.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm _not _going to tell her you said that," I said under my breath. They, of course, heard me and burst into laughter.

As we reached the parking lot, we saw a group of students standing around Rosalie's M3 and Edward's Volvo, admiring both cars. They parted slightly as they saw us approaching, to give us room to our cars, I supposed.

One guy, a senior from the looks of it, leaned against Rosalie's M3 and grinned cockily at her. "Hey, babe," he nodded at her. "How about you and I go for a ride?"

Emmett wrapped an arm around Rosalie's waist and growled at the kid. "What did you say?" he snarled.

I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I shook my head. "Run," I advised him.

And run he did. I shuddered as the students surrounding the car thinned and disappeared. "Wow, that was so…Disconcerting," I said.

"What?" Jasper asked, frowning as he sensed my discomfort.

"Watching my mother getting hit on by boys my own age…That was weird," I said, shivering again.

They laughed, obviously amused. Rosalie flipped her blonde hair and winked at me over her shoulder. "You'd better get used to it, baby," she purred, drawing Emmett to her for a kiss. Well, a kiss might be too…PG-13 for what they were doing.

I covered my eyes. "Mom!" I hissed. She laughed, letting Emmett go and sliding into the driver's seat of her M3.

"Let's go," Edward smiled at me, nodding to the Volvo.

I sighed as the soft purr of the engine started up. I thought about Esme's sweet face, Carlisle's concerned demeanor, and the comfort of my own room…It was good to be going home.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Well that's the new chapter. Sorry it took so long. It was almost entirely in Edward's POV because I just had too much fun with his jealousy. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you think._

_Also, if you have time, please check out my new story Taking Over Me._

_Thank you._

_Juliet._


	30. Sweet Sixteen

_**A/N:**__ Bella's 16__th__ birthday. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_P.S. 7 chapters, including this one, before Bella's boyfriend is introduced. I have a little plotline before that which just popped into my head and I had to write it. It's overprotective Edward time._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Esme, Jasper, Alice_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

Every day I went to school, my jealousy raged whenever a girl paid attention to Edward. That happened every second. I wasn't kidding. Did these people have nothing better to do than ogle?

Not that I minded. At all.

Why should I mind? The fact that Edward was on my mind pretty much every single second of the day didn't mean anything. And the fact that I had been dreaming about him every night also didn't mean anything.

Let's look at the facts.

My heart beat faster when he's around. It once beat so fast, I thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest.

I broke out into cold sweat when he's near me.

All coherent thoughts left my brain when he said my name.

Sometimes, when he would smile that heartbreaking crooked smile, I would forget how to breathe.

We kissed.

What the hell did all these mean?

If it were anyone else, I would say attraction. But this was Edward. He was my best friend, my… I don't even know what he was classified as. 'Best friend' was right, but it seemed too insignificant. Like it didn't define our relationship too well. What else was there?

I sighed, rolling off the bed. This was going to be a really difficult time for me, especially since now, Edward and I were on speaking terms again. I didn't want it any other way, I just found it confusing.

Tomorrow was my sixteenth birthday.

Alice was throwing a huge party. I hadn't wanted her to. In fact, I had begged and pleaded. But she had ignored my pleas and said that everyone wanted to know where the Cullens live. It would be a perfect opportunity for us to show them, make friends, and get me to go through another human experience.

Partying was _not _a human experience I wanted. Especially when Emmett's trying to figure out ways to bring in alcohol without Edward or Alice knowing. Or Rosalie. I shuddered, thinking of what Rose would say - or do - to him if she found out about the keg.

Anyway, because of the party, pretty much everyone was going hunting. Jasper had already hunted, and he was staying behind to watch over me.

I rolled my eyes. I was almost sixteen years old and they were treating me like I was six. Jasper was my babysitter. How annoying. As if I couldn't stay in an empty house all alone. What was the worst that could happen?

But I needed someone to talk to, though. I didn't know if I should talk to Jasper, but chances were, he knew more about what I felt than I did. After all, he was the empath. He would be able to make sense of my feelings while I just run around in circles aimlessly.

I knocked on the door to his study, and his voice called out for me to come in. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, smiling at the blonde-haired Southern vampire sitting in the armchair by the window. It was still sunny outside, so his skin was glittering.

I remembered the first time I had ever seen a vampire's skin glitter. It had been Edward, of course. He'd always taken me outside when it wasn't sunny. Even when we went to his meadow, or some other beautiful, secluded place he would find wherever we went. Honestly, did the man went around looking for those places?

Once, when I was nine, he brought me to his 'special place' in London when it was bright outside. We had stayed there for hours because I had been too entranced by the diamonds on his skin. Only one thought came to mind - "Beautiful".

He was beautiful. But they all were. It wasn't different just because I considered him my best friend instead of my brother.

But even now, as I looked at Jasper, I realized that he didn't hold a thousandth of the beauty Edward did.

I shook my head to clear it. I was slowly going crazy.

"What's up, Bella?" Jasper asked, putting down the book on his lap. His smile turned into a frown as he sensed my emotions. "You're all confused and embarrassed."

I was confused because of these strange feelings. I was embarrassed because I had to talk about it with my own brother.

I sat on one of the empty armchairs in the room. I brought my legs up to sit Indian style. I sighed, cupping the sides of my face with my palms. "I need to talk to you, brother to sister," I announced.

Jasper nodded his head solemnly, and went to sit by the chair opposite mine so that we were closer. I saw his eyes turning darker for a moment before he controlled my bloodlust.

Just another reason I wanted my change to come faster - I hated not being with Jasper the way we used to. He was my brother, after all. I missed hugging him.

"Alright," he agreed, telling me to go on.

I looked him straight in his golden eyes. "You can't repeat this to anyone. Out loud or in your head," I said firmly.

Jasper chuckled as he realized who I was talking about. "Edward won't know a thing," he promised. I raised an eyebrow. "Emmett won't find out, either," he added.

Good. I didn't need Emmett making fun of me about this.

I took in a deep breath, Jasper helping to calm me no doubt, and begun. "I've been feeling very… Strange," I said, unable to accurately define how I've felt. Jasper nodded for me to continue. "I don't understand it one bit. I-I was hoping you could…Tell me," I blushed.

It felt stupid now that I thought about it. For all I knew, Jasper hadn't noticed a single thing.

But he only smiled knowingly. "Does it have anything to do with a certain sulky, brooding vampire?" he teased, winking.

I blushed a deeper shade of crimson, but I giggled nonetheless. Sulky, brooding vampire? That fit Edward perfectly. I snorted, thinking of how he would react if he knew Jasper called him that.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't understand it. He's my best friend one second, and the next… I don't even know what the hell we are anymore," I admitted. "If this is some sort of weird hormones thing, could you just tell me so I could stop driving myself crazy?" I pleaded.

Jasper shook with laughter. "You think you're driving yourself crazy? Try being the empath!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air in mock frustration.

I grinned. "So do you know? What I feel? Why I feel that why?"

As I said this, Jasper bit his pale, marble lip and looked away from me. He always did that whenever he was hiding something from me.

Just like my surprise eleventh birthday party. _That _didn't go so well - I almost fainted from the shock, and then I spent an hour yelling at Alice…After all the guests had left, of course. I wouldn't stop screaming until Alice got bored and asked Jasper to use his gift and send me a shot of drowsiness. Which was completely unfair, to say the least.

"Jasper," I growled. Living with vampires really rubbed off on you. "Just tell me already!"

He must have sensed the frustration coming off of me, because he sighed and looked back at me. "I'm going to try and explain it to my very best, but you're going to have to promise me to keep an open mind," he warned.

I nodded my head eagerly. Anything that would help make this confusion stop. It was giving me migraines everyday and it wasn't pleasant.

Jasper stared at me for a few seconds, as if he was deciding whether I would be able to handle it or not, then he begun. "Do you anything about soul mates?"

I froze. Soul mates? Why on earth were we on this topic now? Weren't we talking about Edward?

"Uh…"

Jasper laughed at the expression on my face and I scowled. "A soul mate is basically someone you have deep feelings for. It could be anything - the kind of affection lovers have for each other," I started to panic. "The kind of affection a parent has for a child, the kind of love twins sometimes share for one another, best friends…Anything," Jasper shrugged.

"This is mostly just a theory, but some people believe that a soul mate is someone you are meant to be with. In what manner is dependent on the situation. For example, a pair of twins could reincarnate and find each other again in the form of best friends, or siblings, or parent and child in another life, simply because they're soul mates. Everyone supposedly has one," Jasper explained.

I bit my lip. "What about your soul mate?"

"Alice."

"Do you believe that you've known her in another life?"

Jasper shrugged again, smiling. "I could hardly remember my human life, let alone a past life. But if I were to really think about it, then yes. I believe that. I can't imagine a point in time when Alice and I weren't together."

I smiled at the dreamy look on his face. It was incredibly sweet, the love they have for each other. That was, until they started making out in front of me. I shuddered, and Jasper snorted. He had probably sensed my emotions.

I frowned again as I remembered the subject we were talking about. "So, what you're saying is, you believe that Edward is my _soul mate_?" I asked him, baffled.

"Think about it - you both know each other inside and out. You know him better than all of us combined. And that's saying something since we've known him for decades, while you've only been in his life for ten years," he said.

Leaning forward in his seat, he gazed at me intently as if he were saying something with extreme importance and wanted me to pay attention. "You both think alike. You have a very deep, spiritual connection to one another…It all fits," he pointed out, ticking off the points with his fingers as he spoke.

I was still unconvinced.

Jasper sighed. He opened his mouth and recited, "A soul mate is someone who has locks that fits our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life."

I stared at Jasper, eyebrows raised. He smiled gently. "Richard Bach," he said, by way of explanation.

I already knew this, of course. How could I not, when Jasper and I had been scouring through every single one of his books in his library? I was as much of a bookworm as he was. The only difference was, he was a few decades ahead of me. I'd catch up, though.

I shook my head, standing up. Bringing both my hands to the sides of my throbbing head, I glared at Jasper. "You know what? This didn't help at all. You should stop reading sappy stories and watch more ESPN," I snapped, though my devious grin gave me away.

Jasper scowled at me, then turned away to continue reading his book. Chuckling slightly, I went downstairs to get aspirin.

The next time I felt like having a serious talk, I should just watch Oprah instead.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I listened to Bella as she clanked around downstairs in the kitchen. I had learnt a long time ago that she was incredibly clumsy. Her accidents these days were a lot less bloody, though, thank God.

I thought back to what we had talked about. I wasn't sure if Alice had seen Bella asking me, or if she'd seen my answer.

I hoped not.

Edward would be close by to Alice and I was pretty sure Bella didn't want Edward to know about her questions.

The good thing about all of this was that Bella was coming to realize that her feelings for Edward weren't merely platonic.

She was realizing this slowly, but it was to be expected. She didn't have Alice's visions to help her, and she had gotten used to thinking of Edward as her best friend. It would take time - even impatient Edward had come to terms with that.

The bad thing about it all was the fact that she was so confused it was driving me insane. Edward's impatience and his desires weren't helping me, either. And the jealousy…My God, I thought I was going to break down everyday in school. A boy would have simply _looked _in her direction and it was enough to send him into frenzy.

Of course, that was probably because of the thoughts in their heads. I could sense their lust, so it bothered me as much as well.

The lust coming off from the boys in school certainly didn't help at all. I was somewhere in the middle of 'kill them all' and 'calm Edward down'.

I was disgusted that they thought of my baby sister that way.

It was different with Rosalie because firstly, although I considered her my family and I would protect her if the need arose, she could pretty much handle herself. She was meant to attract attention.

She liked it.

And she wasn't a little girl. I never raised her. I didn't feel the same amount of protectiveness as I did with Bella.

I'd seen Bella running around, falling on her little tush, and wearing Winnie the Pooh pajamas for the love of God!

How was I supposed to get used to that sweet little innocent six year old with her rosy cheeks and her bright brown eyes, clinging to my legs and asking for a hug before bed suddenly transforming into the beautiful woman these mortal boys lusted for?

I sighed, chucking my book aside.

I didn't think I helped Bella any by saying that I thought Edward was her soul mate. That was what I really thought and it wasn't just because of Alice's visions all those years ago, either. All you had to do was look at them together.

Even at the age of six, Bella's heart would skip a beat whenever Edward entered the room. She would blush whenever he said her name or smiled at her. It wasn't as drastic as it was now, of course. Now instead of skipping a beat, her heart would beat so fast it was as if she had just run a marathon.

She depended on him to protect her, to be there for her. Even though she wanted to be independent, and she hated it whenever he babied her, claiming that she wanted to be treated like an adult, she loved that he cared for her.

He loved being there for her.

I had never seen anything like it.

Whenever he moved, she would, too. Whenever he felt something, so would she.

That day when Maria came, she sensed the danger from the minute I said Edward had to leave. I thought it was just fear, but it was instinct. I guess it worked the same way as maternal instinct did - when a mother would feel terrible the whole day feeling as though something was wrong only to go home and realized that her child had died.

She would go to the end of the world for him, and he her. They took so long to realize their love for one another, and I supposed that was a good thing. It would have been strange for them to fall in love when she was ten.

Now she was sixteen years old. Or, she would be, in just a few hours. Technically, she was a year younger than Edward. In human years, anyway.

I smiled as I stood up to stand near the window. The last of the sun's rays glowed on my skin, the sparkles dimming. I watched as the night sky slowly appeared.

It would be strange for my baby sister to fall in love with Edward. I knew he would take care of her well, and that they would both be happy.

I also knew that he understood that I would pummel him to death if he ever hurt her.

If this was what was going to make my baby sister happy, then so be it. I was just a tiny bit anxious to see how it would all play out.

******************************************************************************

_Esme's POV_

My poor son was in hysterics. I knew it killed him to be away from Bella. It wasn't just because he loved her, either. It wasn't just the sweet affections he had for her. It was because he was worried about her safety. She was incredibly accident prone. Not to mention a danger magnet. He was worried what she could have gotten herself into tonight.

_Edward, don't worry. Alice would have seen something and warned us if there was any danger around Bella. Jasper's watching her, she's safe_, I tried to soothe him.

He merely nodded curtly at me, his lips pulled into a grimace. He ran off to the north, following the scent of a mountain lion nearby.

"Hell, yeah, baby! Grizzly - zero. Emmett - one!" I heard my other son yell excitedly from nearby.

"Emmett! You're getting Grizzly fur all over my outfit!" Rosalie screeched.

I smiled to myself as I swiftly took down an elk. _My family_, I sighed contentedly.

As the elk's blood ran warmly down my throat, I thought about tomorrow. Bella would be sixteen years old in just a few short hours. We had all made the most of our day today, wanting to return before night fell.

I couldn't believe it. My baby, sixteen years old.

It seemed just like yesterday when I'd first laid eyes on her in the hospital. She was such a beautiful child. I could still remember how she had looked at me shyly with her big, inquisitive brown eyes.

I had fallen in love with her at first sight.

I think Carlisle saw that. It was why he hadn't objected much to my wanting to bring Bella home with us. He had fallen for her, too, I knew.

She was our second chance at having a child.

She was Rosalie's second chance.

I was worried about Bella's change. She had less than two years to be mortal. I felt sad that she would have to leave it all behind. I wondered if she would regret her decision once it was too late.

But, selfish as it was, I wanted my daughter with me for eternity. The fact that she was all grown up and that she would fall in love with Edward didn't change a thing.

In my eyes, Bella would always be my little angel, my baby girl. I knew Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett felt the same way.

Jasper would be thrilled that he would no longer have to hold back from Bella, and Alice would simply be happy that she would have a companion to shop with for all eternity.

Now _that _I felt bad for Bella.

I wondered how things would be like once Edward and Bella declared their love for one another. I knew it would be slightly uncomfortable for a while, considering that he would have to be with her under the same roof as her parents. She, too, would no doubt notice that. She was incredibly self conscious. This would only make it harder.

If Edward planned on asking her to marry him, I could always build them a house. Not far from us, obviously. Just enough space to give them privacy. Maybe-

"Esme, you're going ahead of yourself," Edward said, chuckling as he appeared next to me.

I stood up, smiling as I brushed myself off. "I can't help it, Edward. I'm just happy for you. But, really, do you think you'll ask her? Once she's realized her feelings for you, of course. I would love it if you did. Alice would be so pleased to plan your wedding-"

"_Wedding_!?" Rosalie yelled, outraged, as she stormed over to us. "What the hell is this?" she asked angrily, looking from Edward to me and back again in one second.

"Rosalie, calm down-"

"Do _not _tell me to calm down, Edward Cullen, when you're sitting around planning on asking my fifteen year old daughter to marry you!" she screamed, towering over him, hands on her hips.

I laughed gently, and pulled her back from him. For once, Edward looked scared of Rosalie. Reading my thoughts, he scowled at me with a defiant look on his face as if to say 'I was not'.

_Children_. I shook my head. "I was merely asking, Rosalie. For the future. Not now, obviously."

"She's going to be sixteen in tomorrow," Edward said under his breath.

Rosalie heard this, of course, and growled at him. "Best not to push your luck, Edward," I said sternly.

"What's this I hear about a wedding?" Emmett asked, his booming voice echoing through the thick trees around us. I smiled at his huge figure as he approached us, a dancing Alice at his side.

"Not going to happen for a few years now!" Alice sang out.

Edward's face lit up as he looked at her. "You mean she'll say yes?" he asked excitedly.

"Edward…" Rosalie growled warningly.

Rosalie was even more protective of Bella than I was. She really did consider Bella as her own child.

I knew how she felt.

It was easy to pretend Bella was really our own. And even when the reality that she wasn't kicked in, it still felt right because she was simply our daughter, and we were simply her family.

Edward ignored Rosalie, which didn't do well for her anger. Emmett, sensing this, came over to her and wrapped his huge arms around her waist. To comfort her or restrain her, I wasn't sure.

Alice shook her head, grinning. "I can only tell you that you will ask her," she said smugly. "I won't tell you what her answer would be."

"Alice-"

"I hope she says no," Rosalie muttered.

"Rose-"

Alice shook her head furiously, both her and Edward ignoring Rosalie. "Nah-uh! It'll ruin the whole thing! You just have to wait and see!" she smiled.

Edward groaned, shaking his head.

I laughed. "Let's find Carlisle and head home, shall we?" I asked pleasantly. "Bella and Jasper would be expecting us."

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

Edward was going to ask Bella to marry him. And she was going to say yes - obviously! My brother could be so dense sometimes. Either that or he's just too damn insecure, which isn't all that better.

She was going to say 'no' for a few times first, though…I frowned. I'd have to ask her why. In a few years, of course.

We reached home a few minutes after finding Carlisle. He had been getting rid of the carcass of a deer he'd just drank dry.

I ran straight into Jasper's arms and sat on his lap on the couch. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his lips to my neck. I smiled happily at him. My Southern man.

Bella was sitting on the loveseat, her laptop on her lap as she typed away furiously, a small smile on her lips. She wasn't even paying attention to the movie playing.

I glanced at it.

Pride and Prejudice? She wasn't paying attention to _this_? She was obsessed with it. What was going on?

I raised an eyebrow at Jasper, and he shrugged, still kissing my throat. I giggled and swatted him away.

"Bella?" Rosalie's panicked voice drifted to me. I tore my gaze away from Jasper and glanced over at Bella. Rosalie was holding up a bottle of aspirin. I bit my lip, but my vision assured me. She had just gotten a mild headache.

"Are you sick?" Rose asked, overreacting, as usual. She rushed over to place her cold hands all over Bella's face, checking to see if she had a fever. When Edward saw this, and heard Rose's mind, he overreacted, too.

I giggled at the sight of two vampires poking and prodding at Bella to see if she was fine.

Annoyed, Bella yelled for them to step back. "I'm fine!" she insisted. "I just had a headache. It's gone now."

Edward relaxed a little after Carlisle and Jasper confirmed that she wasn't feeling any pain. Bella rolled her eyes at his overprotective nature and went back to whatever she was doing on the computer.

Edward raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing, Bella?" The moment he had decided to ask her, I had already seen her answer. I laughed, keeping my mind blocked from Edward. This was going to be fun.

"Chatting with Gabriel online," she answered in a distracted murmur. We all heard her, anyway.

"Gabriel?" Edward growled.

Bella didn't notice his anger. She looked up and smiled brightly, nodding her head. "Yes. He's moving to a new place soon. But he won't tell me where," she frowned.

"Anyway, he's all excited because it's outside of Paris. He's always wanted to travel so I guess this is his chance." She smiled fondly. "He's really excited."

I bit back my laughter, as did the others, as they noticed Edward's reaction to Gabriel's news. "How…" he choked. He took a few moments to control himself. "How on earth did you keep in contact with him after all these years?"

Bella shrugged. "We exchanged e-mails before we left Paris," she explained, going back to her chat with Gabriel.

Edward sulked for the rest of the night. He grew tired of watching Bella's smiles to whatever Gabriel was saying, so he went up to his room.

We heard the loud sound of music blaring, and Bella's head shot up.

"Is he alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes," I smiled. _Just insanely jealous of you and your romantic French boyfriend._ "Why?" _Are you starting to notice the jealousy?_

Bella bit her lip and looked in the direction of the stairs. "He's listening to Muse. He never listens to Muse after a hunt. Normally, it's classical music. Debussy, mostly and…" She trailed off when Jasper started to snicker.

I watched as something dawned on her face, and she scowled, her face darkening. "Shut up, Jasper," she snapped, snapping her laptop shut and carrying it upstairs. Being Bella, she stumbled three times before making it to her room.

The others were looking at the empty spot where Bella had just vacated with a confused look on their faces. "What the hell was that all about?" Emmett asked, bewildered. Rosalie went up to him and sat on his lap, draping her arm over his shoulder.

I traced a finger down Jasper's smooth cheek. "Did it have anything to do with that little talk of yours with her, Jazz?" I asked knowingly.

Jasper grinned at me sheepishly. "You saw, huh?"

I nodded my head. "Of course I did, Jazz. I'm Alice, remember?" I tapped my forehead with a pale finger. "You're just lucky Edward wasn't anywhere near me to have seen it, too."

"Seen what!?" Rosalie asked, annoyed that she wasn't in the loop.

Jasper regaled to them the story of his talk with Bella. He had to speak in hushed tones so that Edward's sensitive ears wouldn't pick it up.

"Whoa," Emmett chuckled.

Esme looked half disapproving, half amused. "You told her she and Edward were soul mates?" she asked incredulously.

Jasper shrugged. "Well, it's true. I just didn't outright say that they're meant to be mates," he said indignantly.

Carlisle laughed, shaking his head. "No wonder she had a headache," he joked.

I would have laughed, but another vision hit me so strongly, I didn't even had to look into Bella's future. I shrieked, excited, and jumped off of Jasper's lap. Esme, Carlisle, Rose and Emmett looked concerned, but Jasper, sensing my excitement, merely looked curious.

"Happy vision!" I yelled out. Blocking my thoughts so Edward wouldn't see, I kissed Jasper swiftly before running up the stairs.

Bursting into Bella's room, I jumped up and down on her bed. She was lying on her stomach, still typing away on her laptop. Bella looked sick as she yelled for me to stop.

I giggled, plopping down next to her and wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "After tomorrow, Bella," I said happily. "You and I and Rose will have to go shopping."

Bella groaned, dropping her head on the laptop in front of her. "Isn't it enough that you're torturing me with the party?" I heard her groan.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

This was it. Her sixteenth birthday. The sun had been up for two seconds, and all of us were already crowding outside Bella's room.

"Should we knock or burst in unannounced?" Jasper asked.

"What if she sleeps in her birthday suit?" Emmett asked, worried. A resounding thwack was heard and I rolled my eyes. "OW! _Rosie_…"

"Emmett, I watch her sleep every night," I reminded him, annoyed.

"I know. There's got to be a perk, isn't there?"

Another thwack.

Alice laughed. "She's going to wake up in three seconds," she whispered. With that, all seven us hurried in and took our place around her bed.

Bella's eyes fluttered open. She blinked once, twice, before her eyes focused on all of us. A wide smile spread across her face as she gazed at us. "Hello," she said pleasantly.

Emmett's face fell considerably. "What? No screaming?" he asked, disappointed.

Bella laughed, shaking her head as she sat up. "After going through it for ten years, Emmett, I think I've gotten used to it," she teased him.

He still looked upset, then his face lit up. "Well, next year we'll scare you. We won't just sit around waiting for you to open your eyes," he promised, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Emmett…" Esme warned.

He gave her an innocent look. "_What_? We only have one more time left to do that!" he defended himself.

Ignoring the sadness that pulsed through me at that statement, I leaned forward and kissed Bella on the cheek. A delicious pink blush colored her creamy skin. "Happy birthday, Bella," I whispered.

She smiled up at me, and reached around to hug me around the neck. "Thanks, Edward."

"_Edward_?" Jasper asked, placing a hand over his still heart, as if he was offended. "What about the rest of us?"

Bella laughed and took turns hugging everyone. "I'll need a human minute, guys," she smiled. We agreed, and left her to it.

The others went down to the living room to wait for her, but I stayed in her room. I sat in the rocking chair by the window, and waited for her to finish with her shower.

Finally, she came back, looking harassed. I laughed, noting her outfit. She wouldn't have picked out a dress like that on her own. She looked beautiful, of course. Alice had dressed her up in a midnight blue halter dress, with ruffles at the bottom, that reached up to her knees. Her hair had been curled, and her skin practically glowed.

"Alice?" I asked sympathetically.

Bella pouted and nodded her head, batting her lashes at me. I heard my own breath hitch as I stared into the depths of her brown eyes. Shaking my head to clear it, I watched as she went over to her jewelry box and took out her charm bracelet.

Turning around to grin at me, she dangled the bracelet in front of her. "Do you have something for me, Edward?" she asked sweetly.

I laughed. How could anyone deny her anything? I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out her latest charm. It was a white gold cupid. Her wings were made of diamonds. Her bow and arrow were made of topaz. The heart she clutched to her chest was made of rubies.

I didn't know if it would be a good gift, but I wanted her to have it. I might not be able to say in so many words how much I loved her, but I hoped these little things would say enough for the moment. Bella came closer to me, and sat on my lap. Her eyes widened when she saw the cupid. "It's so pretty," she breathed.

I smiled, glad that she liked it, and placed the new charm on the bracelet. I then proceeded to fasten it around her wrist.

It was funny how Bella would throw a fit before accepting a gift from anyone, including me, but charms for her bracelet were a must. She expected it. I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I enjoyed it. I was just surprised. Maybe it was because she had grown so attached to the bracelet.

Bella sighed as she leaned her head against my shoulder. "Is there any way we could cancel the party and send everyone away?" she asked in a whisper.

Alice, of course, had seen it in her vision anyway, and screamed, "Don't you even _think _about it, Isabella Marie Hale!"

Bella and I burst out into silent laughter. "I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered back. "I don't think that's possible." She pouted. I knew she hated the attention. At least this time wasn't a surprise party. Her eleventh birthday had nearly ended with her going into shock.

Bella sighed again and stood up, taking my hand in hers. "Well, let's go. The others are waiting," she said, faking enthusiasm.

I smiled at her effort. Tugging her back to me as I stood, I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her a gentle hug. "You look beautiful, Bella," I whispered, pressing my lips to her cheek once more before letting her go.

Bella flushed, her sweet scent becoming even more potent as she blushed, and mumbled a shy thank you.

_Come on, Eddie. We want to spend time with our sister. I know you're too busy drooling over your new girlfriend…_

I growled at Emmett's thoughts. "Come on, lo-Bella," I said quickly. I shook my head. I had almost called Bella 'love'. I really had to be more careful around her.

My feelings for her were growing by the second. Hers was barely there. I had to be more patient.

"The others are getting quite impatient for you to show up."

******************************************************************************

We had gone through the usual routine of giving Bella presents. She had pretty much blushed her way through it, which Emmett and Jasper found hilarious. Jasper even made her even more embarrassed by using his gift until I stopped him. When Esme found out, she grounded him for a week.

Rosalie had fine tuned Bella's new car, adding a few appropriate touches here and there. It was slightly more faster than it used to be, and I hadn't liked that. Bella was human. The car was fast enough to begin with. But Rosalie would never harm Bella in any way, so I had let it go with a glare.

Emmett had gotten her what seemed to be everything in the new joke shop he had found a few weeks ago. Of course, that was for the both of them…

Esme had gotten Bella an entire new collection of art supplies - from charcoal pencils to a new paint set.

Jasper had tracked down the original Charles Dickens collection for her. It had 48 volumes and had cost him a fortune which, of course, hadn't bode well with Bella at all. She accepted it when Jasper manipulated her into calming down.

Alice had gotten her four tickets to New York. The girls were going on an all-girl vacation for a week. Bella had been ecstatic. I had the opposite reaction. New York!? For a _week_!? Was Alice trying to kill me?

Carlisle had gotten Bella a new camera for her recent love of photography. That she had been excited about…After moaning about how expensive it was, of course.

I had gotten her a new guitar. She had expressed interest in learning how to play that, as well. Her talent in playing the piano had become almost as good as mine. And that was saying something. She had composed some songs, even. I'd been more than impressed. It was time for her to move on and learn a new musical instrument. I could teach her the guitar, as well.

Soon enough, it was time for us to prepare for the party. Alice and Rosalie dragged Bella upstairs to 'freshen up her make-up'. I rolled my eyes. That was ridiculous. Bella was beautiful naturally - she didn't need make-up.

But Alice had insisted, and Alice always got her way.

The rest of us prepared the food table outside. Emmett had suggested the barbeque. Esme had agreed quickly considering the barbeque would be held outside. She hadn't been too happy about teenagers bumbling about in her house.

While Carlisle and I started the grill, Esme took out the food and drinks and Emmett and Jasper prepared the food table.

We were done just in time, as predicted by Alice. The guests arrived slowly in packs. They came in from the front door and came out to the back with awed expressions on their faces. If it was from the interior or the decorations Alice had hung all over the backyard, I couldn't be sure.

Well, _I _could. It was both. But that wasn't the point.

Bella came out eventually, and her friends greeted her with smiles and cheers. Bella, typically, blushed.

I heard the thoughts of vile Mike Newton, and growled in his direction. "What?" Bella's sweet voice asked, as she approached me.

I shook my head, setting my mouth into a thin line. She didn't need to know that a repulsive human boy was mentally undressing her in his mind.

Bella, concerned at the pinched look on my face, placed a warm, gentle hand on my arm. I smiled slightly at the jealousy erupting from the thoughts of every male and every female in the vicinity. The boys wondered if Bella and I really were together, despite her protests. The females wondered the same thing and we sure that Bella had lied.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stepping closer to me.

I nodded my head. "There are just some disgusting thoughts coming from some of our peers," I told her through gritted teeth. The image of Newton's vile fantasies were still burned into my mind.

Bella laughed, realizing the problem. "Would you like Emmett to punch whomever it is?" she teased.

I scowled at her and scooped her up playfully with one arm. I swung her around in a circle once, and she shrieked in surprise, giggling. I placed her down on her feet, but my arm stayed around her waist. "I can handle these weak humans," I scoffed. "I don't need Emmett to do it for me!"

"Aw, sure you do," his booming laughter erupted from behind me. I turned around slightly, just enough to scowl at him. "Don't hog Bella, man, the rest of us want to spend time with the birthday girl, too."

"Shh!" Bella hissed at Emmett.

He laughed. "Bella, they're all here to celebrate your birthday. A little late to keep it a secret, don't you think?"

_I wonder if her and Cullen are together. Nah, Jessica said they weren't. Well, here's your chance. Just ask her to dance. I'm sure she'll say yes. Then I'll amaze her with my dancing skills and she'll leave Cullen and come to me. Ha, see how you take that, Cullen! Alright, now I'm talking to myself. I've gone insane…_

I laughed quietly, then leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear. "Newton is debating with himself whether or not he should ask you to dance," I said softly. I felt a shiver run down her spine as I held her to me. Was she cold? "He's positive you would say yes."

Bella looked a little horrified. "Edward, I can't dance. Not with him, not with anyone," she whispered frantically, both her hands gripping onto my arms tightly.

I chuckled. "Well, don't worry. I've got you," I assured her.

_It's a slow song! Yes! It's like fate wants us to get together…_

I glanced over at the DJ stand, where Rosalie was winking at me. I grinned at her and mouthed my gratitude. She might not be so happy that I was thinking so far ahead into the future relationship Bella and I would share, but she was grateful that I was making her daughter happy.

"Would you like to dance with me?" I asked Bella, smiling at her.

Her heartbeat fluttered wildly, but that might simply be because of her fear of dancing. "Edward," she whispered urgently. "I already told you I couldn't dance!"

I smiled, taking both her hands in mine as I led her away towards the wooden dance floor Alice had specifically put in for the party. "Don't worry," I whispered, as I pulled her close. "It's all in the leading."

And with that, I lifted her gently off her feet and placed her on mine. I danced easily with her weight on mine. Soon, her anxiety vanished and she laughed freely as we danced together.

I watched the smile on her lips, the way her brown eyes lit up, and the steady 'thump' of her heart.

Her brown hair swayed gently in the breeze as I swiftly twirled us around. She had never been a graceful dancer. I wondered if that would change once she became one of us. It would be wonderful to see her dance. If it was anything like how she was acting now, she and I both would love it.

She looked so wonderfully carefree. It was like she had forgotten her reservations, her shyness. She had just given herself to the moment, feeling the music and being content.

I was aware of the thoughts of the people around us.

_I wish he'd pick me up and dance like that._

_Bella's lucky._

_Man, he's so hot!_

_Why did she have to pick Cullen of all people? They live together. Won't that be weird? Or really easy if they wanna-_

_Bella looks so damn hot!_

_Come on, Cullen. Finish already so I can ask Bella to dance with me._

_Jess was sure they weren't going out. Maybe I should ask him out later._

_Oh, just look at them! They're totally into one another! Damn._

_Aw, that's so sweet. Bella's a nice girl. Edward seems to really like her. I'm happy for them._

This last thought surprised me. I looked around to find the owner of these thoughts. Angela. I smiled, looking back down at my Bella.

Bella was lucky to have a friend like Angela. Among the many vain and envious people who seemed to either hate her for her spotlight or use her to get their own, Angela was the one person who truly cared for Bella.

I knew that Bella was hesitant to delve into her past, but she had become quick friends with Angela these past few weeks in school. Angela had even come over to the house once to do their homework.

It was ironic that Bella helped Angela with her French homework considering Bella took Spanish. But she was fluent in the language.

I winced as I remembered our trip to Paris. I had practically spent the entire trip ignoring her. And when she finally met a friend, I had acted like the jealous boyfriend. She had every right to be angry with me.

But she had been so forgiving. Without any explanations, she had accepted me back. And when I _had _given her half of the truth to explain why I had abandoned her for so long, she had waved it all aside and accepted me back with open arms.

She truly was an angel. I couldn't have described her better than that.

Why on earth the universe had decided that Bella and I would be together, I didn't know. If Alice hadn't had the visions, I would still be in denial over my feelings for her. I would have ran from it and from her as well.

I just still couldn't believe it. She was so beautiful, so pure…It was heartbreaking, her beauty. Inside and out.

The song ended, and I placed Bella back on the ground. She smiled widely at me. "Thank you for that," she whispered.

"It was my pleasure," I answered honestly. I leaned down and brushed my lips against her forehead.

_Whoa. A kiss? But it was just the forehead, right? Nothing romantic about that at all. Yeah…Just ask her, man. What was it again? Left step forward, right step back? Or was it the other way around? Does that even matter? Ugh, just _ask _her!_

Newton was approaching Bella again, and I looked around for a way to prevent having Bella dance with him.

It was merely a precautionary method. Bella was already clumsy enough on her own. And Newton didn't seem like he could dance very well. I would just neglect to tell Bella that he had taken dance lessons for her, lest she found it sweet.

The thought alone made me nauseous.

"Time for cake!" Alice hollered, her high pitched voice carrying throughout the crowd.

_Damn._

Esme and Carlisle wheeled out the three tier cake (Alice's doing, of course) while everyone sang Happy Birthday to Bella. She sank into my chest, her face almost purple as she blushed hard. I thought I heard her mumble 'Please let it be over' over and over again.

I smirked. Bella hated the attention, of course. Anyone else would have loved it. She found it embarrassing to have every single person's eyes directed at her.

I ran my hand down the sides of her arms as I hugged her from behind, reassuring her. I, too, was singing. "Edward, stop singing!" she whispered harshly.

I chuckled, ignoring her. When the song finally ended, it was greeted with applause, an abashed smile and a 'thank you God' from Bella and flashes as Alice, Esme and Rosalie took pictures.

Bella cut the cake and I helped her hand them out to guests. Angela came over and gave Bella a one armed hug as she held her slice of cake in the other hand. "Happy birthday, Bella," Angela said warmly.

Bella smiled back. "Ange, I'm glad you could make it," she said, hugging her back.

"Of course. I brought you a present - my brothers insisted on wrapping it, so it's not very pleasant looking on the outside. Sorry," Angela smiled sheepishly. From her thoughts, I could see that she was fond of her twin brothers, and hadn't really been upset with them for wanting to wrap Bella's gift.

Bella blushed. "Ange, you really shouldn't have gotten me anything," she said, flustered.

Angela laughed. "It's a party, Bells, and it's your birthday. Believe me, I really should have," she teased.

I left Bella and Angela to talk a little to one another. I was glad that Bella had a connection to her past that wasn't bitter. It hurt her to think about her parents.

I knew she felt guilty for surviving the accident when they didn't. She had confided that in me once.

I, in turn, had confided how I'd felt guilty for surviving the Spanish Influenza when my parents hadn't.

She only had two years left to be human. I wanted her to be happy all the way. And if Angela was the last happy memory of Forks she had, I was happy for her.

I was still handing out slices of cakes on paper plates.

Alice had already come to my side to help me out. She had a huge smile plastered on her face and was singing the Macarena in her head.

I frowned at her. "That's getting annoying, Alice," I muttered under my breath.

"Then stop peeking, Edward," she sang back cheerfully.

I glowered at her then went back to cutting and passing cakes. I passed the newest slice to someone without even looking to see who it was.

"Hello, Edward," I heard someone said. _I hope he likes my dress. I picked it out just for him…_

I flinched internally. Jessica. How lovely. I lifted my head up a little and gave her a half-hearted smile. It was enough to spur her on, unfortunately. "Hello, Jessica," I said warily.

Someone pushed Jessica aside slightly as they waved their hand for a slice of cake. I hid a smile and went back to my cake-cutting duty.

"So, I was just wondering," Jessica said, coming over to stand by my side. Well, that didn't work out in my favor. Now she was standing closer to me. I fought the urge to run away from her and hide behind Bella or Emmett. Or maybe Rosalie could do one of her patented 'slap-and-throw-drink-in-face' moves.

Then I caught myself? Running and hiding? I was extremely glad I was the only mind reader in the family.

Jessica continued her advances while I continued to ignore her. "Do you think maybe you'd want to go out with me sometime?" Jessica asked, placing her hand on my arm.

It didn't feel nice at all. It didn't feel at all the way it did when Bella touched me.

I recoiled from her touch, but it didn't faze her. "Uh, Jessica," I begun, taking a step back.

_Are you afraid of the little human girl?_ Alice was giggling in her mind.

I glared in her direction before turning back to Jessica. She had stepped closer and had placed a hand on my chest. "I'm not interested, Jessica," I said firmly, removing her hand from my chest.

Her face fell for a fraction of a second. "Edward," she whined.

I shook my head. "I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to give in. I'm not interested in dating right now," I told her, trying to gentle my tone.

_Unless it's Bella, of course_, Alice thought. I smiled at that. Of course. If Bella were ready to be with me, I'd sweep her off her feet this instant.

Jessica opened her mouth. From her thoughts, I discovered that she was still going to insist on going out with me on a date. I sighed inwardly.

"Edward!" Bella's angelic voice called out. I lifted my head to see her heading in our direction. I smiled at her as she came closer. She leaned up and kissed my cheek. Just low enough for my ears to catch, she whispered, "Jasper sent me."

I had to remind myself to thank him later.

"Hi, Jess," Bella smiled at her friend.

Jessica smiled back. "Happy birthday, Bella."

Bella slipped her wonderfully warm hand in my cold one, and squeezed, her other hand latching onto my upper arm as she hugged me from the side. "Thanks, Jess," she said. "Did you bring a date?"

Jessica's head snapped up a little and she straightened her shoulders. "Yes, I did, actually," she said smugly. "Mike took me."

Bella nodded her head. "That's nice. I hope the two of you are having fun," she said sincerely. Of course, only she would say something as sweet as that. Then again, she had no idea what went through Newton's mind.

Bella turned to me and said in a normal tone, "Emmett and Jasper are getting out of hand by the indoor pool. Esme wants you to break them up." She looked back at Jessica with wide, innocent eyes and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting or anything."

_Yes, you were! He was just about to say yes to me!_ Jessica's thoughts screamed.

I grinned at Bella. "Of course not, Bella," I said sweetly. "I'll handle it right away. When I get back, will you dance with me again?"

Bella blushed and nodded her head. "Yes. You'd better go before they end up making a mess. Mom won't like that," she grimaced, probably thinking of when Emmett and Jasper had cracked the bottom of the pool and Esme had had to repair it.

I laughed, nodding. I leaned down and repeated her earlier gesture of kissing her cheek. She blushed and I chuckled, walking away.

It might not be her lips yet, but we were getting there slowly.

I couldn't have asked for more.

______________________________________________________________________________

_I hoped you enjoyed this chapter._

_No, that was not the dance scene from Alice's vision - Bella hasn't fully realized her feelings for Edward yet. That was just a test run._

_I just wanted to tell you that you have one more chapter left to go before the poll on Bella's BF closes. Right now, it looks as if Gabriel would be the one. The poll will be closed by the end of Dec. 20 officially. The boyfriend chapter will be posted on Dec. 21._

_P.S. Blackout91 mentioned to me something about a side story. It's all of the crazy times tiny Bella had with the Cullens that I never included in Bella Hale because I needed to get the story progressing to when she's older. This side story would just be fluff, of course, with no plots whatsoever. I was wondering what you thought of that??_

_To KTHale, you were right! I checked out the song and it did remind me of this story. LOL. That's such a coincidence. Cool._

_To mcdreamy42988, Edward and Bella are going to get together in 9 chapters. LOL. Long, I know. But the dance (Alice's first vision) is in 8 chapters…Oh, wait, I don't think that's much of a consolation. I'm sorry! I really couldn't make it shorter! No worries, plenty of ExB on the way._

_To Aleatoire, yeah I just never really figured out where exactly the Cullens lived. I know they don't live in Forks, and I just kinda wanted to put a name to it. I guess I could just say 'just outside of Forks' from now on…_

_And before I forget, Merry Christmas. I'm an atheist, so I don't celebrate Christmas religiously. But I completely love the presents part. LOL._

_Juliet._


	31. Werewolves

_**A/N: **__This is, obviously, the chapter with the La Push gang. I'm sorry if Jacob lovers find it offensive in any way. I tried to make him the friend type, considering he and Bella would have hung out as toddlers. But she was six and he was five, so I don't think they remember much of each other. Jake's already a werewolf here. I know that the whole process only started because Victoria was around and Sam was the first. But for the purpose of the story, they're all werewolves._

_P.S. Billy remembers Bella a lot clearer than Jake, so he's concerned about her safety and considers her to be on his side since Charlie was his best friend._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Alice_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

"Alice! I can't do it anymore!" Bella's exasperated cry from behind the dressing room made me roll my eyes.

"We have only been here for three hours, Bella," I reminded her, thumbing through a few more options.

I was doing this for Bella - though she didn't know it yet. Someone very special was coming into her life soon, and Bella was going to fall head over heels with him.

Well, not as head over heels as she would be with Edward, but it was important nonetheless. It would make my thickheaded brother finally go for it, and make Bella realize that her feelings for Edward were not platonic.

This was a very important turn of events.

I couldn't wait.

It would be strange seeing Bella with someone else, after seeing those visions of her and Edward together, after knowing they would end up together. But it was necessary. And Bella needed to work out her feelings. This was the perfect way.

We were in Port Angeles. I had hauled Bella out of bed and dragged her to Port Angeles for the weekend with Rose. We needed to get her prepared. This special someone would arrive in school on Monday.

I almost squealed in excitement at the thought. Again. It was just so…So…Exciting!

"Alice, calm down," Rosalie chuckled next to me. "Any more and Bella would get suspicious."

I had told her, of course, when Bella had been in the bathroom of our hotel suite. I couldn't help myself. I had to tell someone. And Rosalie was almost as good as I was at keeping thoughts away from Edward.

I grinned at her. "Isn't it great, though?" I gushed. "One last push and they're there!"

"Who's where?" Bella asked, as she stepped out of her dressing room.

I ignored her question and rushed to her side. She was wearing a blue, flowing front-tie tunic, with a deep V-neckline and a center tie detail. It had cap sleeves. Throw in a pair of jeans and it was perfect!

"This is the one!" I said, nodding my head. Rosalie was also giving her approval.

Bella sighed in relief. "Does that mean we get to go now?" she asked excitedly.

I brushed back her hair and smiled at her adoringly. "Of course, angel," I assured her. "We'd have to go to another store to get the rest of your things."

Bella groaned as I pushed her back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes.

Now that her clothes for Monday has been solved, I'd need to re-do her entire wardrobe. Well, not entire. I did get her all her clothes and I am the fashion goddess. But there was still a lot to do. I had to get her the dresses for her dates, super cute purses, shoes…

I grinned as I handed my credit card to the cashier. We'd just finished shopping at the fifth store this morning, and Rose and I had about thirty bags in each hand. We had already gone to put bags in the car twice previously.

This was turning out to be quite a successful shopping trip.

Just as we were getting out of the store, I screamed. My entire family - Bella, Rose and I included - had just vanished into thin air! Our futures were completely blank.

Rose rushed to my side, a worried look on her face, while Bella said 'spider' to everyone within hearing range, as an explanation to my sudden shriek.

"We have to get home," I said urgently. "Something horrible is going to happen."

We grabbed all of our things and we speeding back to Forks within half an hour. I just hoped that our futures vanishing had nothing to do with actually dying.

******************************************************************************

I hadn't even bothered to take out the shopping bags from Bella's McLaren - she had insisted on driving it to Port Angeles since she had had so little chances to use it.

We dashed inside the house, Bella flung over my shoulder as Rose and I moved at vampire speed. Bella should have been used to this by now, but she still protested, claiming that her legs worked just fine. As usual, I ignored it.

"Everyone get down here!" I screamed.

I had already told Rose and Bella about my vision of the entire family vanishing. I had looked again into the future and had seen that we would be fine…After a few hours of vanishing. That was a complete mystery to me. I had no idea why we would just disappear.

Jasper, Edward, Carlisle, Esme and Emmett showed up in the living room in the blink of an eye. I set Bella down on the couch and she crossed her arms across her chest, huffing at me.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, noting the panic in my voice and the incoherency of my thoughts. His concern went immediately to Bella. "Are you alright?"

Before Bella had a chance to respond, I cried out, "We're going to disappear!"

Silence greeted my desperate cry. Emmett was the one who broke it, whispering, "Do you think she's finally cracked? I mean, no one can shop that much without being clinically insane, right?"

I threw a pillow at him - which, of course, didn't faze him at all - and went on to explain my vision. Edward, who had seen it in my head, started pacing around and hovering protectively above Bella throughout my explanation.

We all turned to Carlisle for an explanation once I was done. He was the one with the theories and the answers. I expected him to know why I couldn't see anyone for hours before we finally showed up in the future.

He didn't have an answer. He was baffled as to why all of us would vanish then appear in my visions. I had to admit, none of us looked hurt in any way once my sight resurfaced. Just…Worn out, I supposed. Tired, and wary.

"Perhaps…Perhaps we went out of your vision range, Alice?" Carlisle asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully at this latest theory.

I shook my head, mouth set into a grim line. "No. We could have gone to Mars, and I would've seen it," I replied glumly.

The shrill tone of the phone made everyone but Edward and I jump. Esme rushed to pick it up, and frowned. Edward, standing guard over Bella, growled.

I shot him a confused look, then gasped when I 'saw' what Esme was going to tell Carlisle. Was that the reason we would disappear?

"Carlisle," Esme walked back to our group, sitting in the living room. She sat on Carlisle's lap while he lounged in the sole armchair. "It's for you. Billy Black from the Quileute tribe."

"Quileute?" Jasper's brows furrowed.

"Tribe?" Rosalie looked aghast, afraid even. From what I heard, the Quileute werewolves were as fond of vampires as we were of those dogs.

Bella, however, wasn't all that surprised. I had expected her to be shocked that other mythical beings existed but, of course, she had caught me off guard. She had paid more attention to mythology and lore - especially told from Carlisle's perspective - than the rest of us. She wasn't surprised at all by the fact that werewolves existed.

"You mean the werewolves?" Bella asked, looking from Carlisle to Edward as she spoke.

Carlisle nodded his head grimly and took the phone from Esme. He spoke quietly into it, but all of could hear him and Billy Black on the other end of the line. Only Bella was unable to hear.

"_Carlisle Cullen?"_

"_Yes. I assume this is Billy Black."_

"_You assumed right. I think we need to talk."_

"_Oh? What about?"_

"_Isabella Swan."_

"_She's Isabella Hale now."_

"_That's exactly why we need to talk. Listen, Charlie Swan was my best friend. Bella deserves a life. A normal one. We need to meet up, face to face."_

"_Is that really necessary?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Very well. What do you suggest?"_

"_How about I come over to your land? My son, and a few others will accompany me."_

"_I'm not sure that is in the best interest of my family's safety. And by family, I do include Bella in that equation."_

"_We do not intend to harm Bella. We simply want to talk about what's best for her."_

"_When shall I expect you?"_

"_In half an hour. My son Jacob, Sam Uley and Seth Clearwater will be with me."_

"_Please come over to my house. We more than welcome you."_

"_I, uh, well…Thanks. I think. Another thing. We must insist that Bella is present at this meeting. I would like to ask her opinion on the matter."_

"_I'm fairly certain that you would be wasting your time, and mine. But I shall oblige. I will see you in half an hour."_

The line went dead.

I stared at Carlisle, horrified. Edward was the one to speak first. "Are you _insane_, Carlisle?" he hissed. "Those dogs? Here? While Bella's around? What if they lose control?"

"Now, Edward. It was his one request for Bella to be present. I wouldn't have agreed to it if it could have harmed anyone," he said gently, wrapping his arms around Esme.

I shook my head, standing up to pace. Honestly, I'd spent too much time with Edward lately. "Carlisle, I can't see when they're here. We would vanish from my sight in approximately twenty-seven minutes," I ranted. "What if something horrible happens? I won't be able to see it so we won't be able to prevent it."

"You saw us all coming out of it unscathed."

"It takes a split second decision to change the future, Carlisle, and you know it!" I was near hysterics now. No, scratch that. I was right smack in the middle of hysterical.

Jasper grabbed my wrist as I paced in front of him and tugged me gently back onto the couch. Wrapping his arms around me, I felt his powers working on me. I let myself succumb to the calming waves he was sending me.

"Don't worry, darlin'," Jasper whispered, kissing my cheek. "We outnumber them."

Emmett seemed as confident as Jasper as he grinned maliciously. "Yeah, we'd beat those dogs down if we have to," he said cockily.

Esme, being the gentle creature that she was, clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Now, now," she chided. "Carlisle just promised Billy Black that this would be a peaceful meeting. Don't lose your tempers."

Edward was too agitated for even Jasper to calm down. "But they're werewolves!" he said, frustrated. He threw his hands up in the air. "Am I the only sane one here?" he asked, glaring at us all. "How can you be so calm?"

Bella tugged on his arm, though it did nothing to sway him, of course. "Edward," she said pleadingly. "Would you please stop that?"

Edward was suddenly sitting right next to Bella. "You're right," he said. _That's a first_, I thought, surprised. I was pretty sure the others were thinking the same thing. "We would just have to hide Bella…How about Canada?" He turned to her, a hopeful expression on his face.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard this, especially now, but I just have to say it - you're overreacting," she said dryly.

I chuckled at her humor at such a terrifying time for her. I wondered if she even feared for her life at this point. Bella was always putting others first. If anything, she always placed Edward before herself. She probably didn't even realize the potential danger she was in.

Edward frowned as he acknowledged my thoughts, then scowled at Bella. "Didn't Billy say that he wanted me here?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't know about Jacob or Sam or Seth. But Billy wouldn't hurt me. He was my father's friend."

I glanced at her, suddenly curious. Did she remember this Billy Black? Did she remember that part of her human life.

Rosalie asked the question before I could. "Do you remember him, Bella?" she asked quietly, as if afraid of the answer. I realized that she was scared Bella's affections for her father's friend, and her newfound connection to Bella Swan would take her away from Rose.

I scoffed. As if that would happen.

Bella bit her lip and nodded her head slowly. "I…Charlie used to fish. A lot. He went down to La Push. I always played with Jake and his sisters. Rebecca and Rachel would be in college by now…" she said, her eyes glazing over as she remembered her past.

Edward watched her with a pained expression on his face. At last, it was Emmett who broke the silence. "So did you know they were werewolves?" he asked bluntly.

"Emmett!" Esme cried, horrified.

"What!?"

Bella simply smiled fondly at her brother, and shook her head. "As far as Charlie and I knew, they were human. They didn't look any different…When Carlisle told me about the Quileute werewolves, I had to admit, I thought Billy Black didn't have anything to do with it. That is, until you mentioned his name, of course," she chuckled.

I shook my head. She had known the man, known his family. Yet the thought of him as a werewolf didn't faze him at all.

What a surprising human, after all.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Bella turned to me and unleashed her big, brown eyes on me. I was instantly captivated. "Please, Edward. Don't worry too much about this. Let's just hear what Billy has to say," she pleaded with me.

I sighed. When she said 'please', it turned all my resolve into dust.

I was angry, though, and upset that she was calling this Quileute man by his first name. She had memories of him, memories that linked back to her past.

Rosalie was worried that because of this, Bella might choose Billy Black over us if it came down to it. I could understand her fear. Bella might have been hesitant to delve into her past, but this man had been her father's friend. She had known him. He was a direct link.

What if she really wanted to leave us?

Would I let her go?

Could I let her go?

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. "Bella," I groaned. "You cannot possibly be asking me to allow werewolves to come into the house when you're in close proximity?"

When I opened my eyes, I met her firm, determined brown orbs. I rolled my eyes. Of course. She was being stubborn again.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "I am."

At my pained expression, her own face softened. She tugged at the hand that was now covering my face as my thumb and forefinger pinched the bridge of my nose. It didn't sway me at all. I supposed to her, it would have been like tugging on concrete or marble. But I let her take my hand away from my face.

"Please?" she asked again. The one word that was my weakness. "Dad already promised them this. I don't want Billy to think my new family's a liar."

I sighed heavily and stared at her grimly. "Fine. But the first sign of danger, Isabella, and I'm dragging you all the way to Iceland."

The corners of her lips pulled up into an amused smile. "Of course."

I heard their thoughts minutes before they actually drove up the driveway.

_I hope they haven't drained her dry yet. I hope she's still human._

_How dare they take away Charlie's girl? He and Renee would be rolling around in their graves if they knew._

_Did the Cold Ones really have to come back? Because of them, this werewolf thing started again. I could have had a normal life, but no…_

_Bella? I don't remember all that much about her. I think she and I used to play together when Charlie Swan came by to fish._

I wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders, holding her close to me. Noticing my anxious expression and deducing that the werewolves were near, Bella scooted closer to me as well and rested her head on my shoulder.

I heard her sigh in contentment and smiled tightly, brushing my lips against her forehead. I watched the familiar blush covering her cheeks so beautifully…

Alice broke into my thoughts. "They'll pull up in thirty seconds!" she said, frantic. Jasper held her close and tried to calm her down.

"Alice, don't let them know you're worried they're here," he was murmuring. "We'll be fine."

I wished I could share his optimism. The fact is, I was scared beyond belief. What if something horrible happened to Bella? What if it were something we couldn't prevent? What if Billy Black and his vile werewolf friends snatched Bella away from me?

I couldn't lose her. I couldn't exist without her.

I looked down to see that Bella was fingering the charm bracelet around her wrist nervously. She had worn it because of Alice's crazy shopping spree weekend marathon. She was anxious, too.

I kissed her hair lightly and she looked up at me to smile slightly. "Don't worry, Bella," I assured her. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I'll protect you."

She nodded her head, and turned to look anxiously at the door. I thought I heard her mumble, "But who will protect you?"

Silly Bella. Was this what she was so upset about? I gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. She didn't have to worry for me, or any of us for that matter. We would be perfectly safe against these werewolves. They were nothing compared to newborn vampires.

I winced as I remembered the incident with my arm. The pain was as clear to me now as it was then.

Pushing it out of my mind, I focused solely on protecting Bella.

The doorbell rang.

Carlisle moved swiftly to the door and answered it. Four men came in, looking around with narrowed eyes and tensed shoulders. It was as if they expected us to spring an attack on them at any given moment.

I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of it.

Three of the russet-skinned men were tall and gangly, their black hair reaching down to their backs. The older man, whom I assumed to be Billy Black, was in a wheel-chair. He scanned the room apprehensively before his gaze fell on Bella. He stiffened as he noticed my arm around her shoulders, but relaxed slightly as he noticed that she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger.

_They're not…Together, are they? Oh, God, tell me they're not together._

I smirked a little at his thoughts, but I hid it before any of them could notice.

"I'm Billy Black," the man said. Pointing to the tall boy behind him, he said, "This is Jacob. He's my son. You remember him, Bella," he asked, pointedly ignoring everyone else in the room. From his thoughts, I gathered that he wanted to guilt Bella into leaving our family and staying with them.

Bella smiled and lifted her hand in a half-wave. "Yes, of course. It's nice to see you and Jacob again, Billy," she smiled at them pleasantly.

Billy nodded his head slightly and continued with the introductions. The tall boy with the hard expression on his face was Sam Uley. It seemed that Sam didn't seem too eager to be here. He was, also, evidently the oldest of the three boys. The last was Seth Clearwater. He was much younger than Sam, younger than Jacob, even. He seemed slightly…Excited?

_They don't seem so bad. I don't know what Sam was talking about. They don't dress funny or look as if they want to suck my blood. I wonder if they sleep in coffins…_

I smothered my chuckles with a little cough. Seth was clearly a very young werewolf and had not much of an idea what vampires really were.

Then a horrified thought came to mind. A young werewolf? They were unstable! They could lose control at any moment!

Carlisle introduced us all. I noticed that Billy's eyes flashed when Carlisle introduced Bella as his daughter.

Billy Black sat in his wheelchair, directly facing the couch Bella and I were sitting in. Jacob, Sam and Seth stood behind him, as if they were his guards.

I noticed how the vampires were on one side of the room while the werewolves were on the other. I rolled my eyes discreetly at how ridiculous all this was. If Billy Black had just left things alone, we wouldn't be here at this point.

"I assume there are no trouble whatsoever with us being here?" Carlisle asked pleasantly. "We _have _agreed to a treaty, yes?"

"The treaty didn't allow you to kidnap a human, leech!" Sam growled. Billy Black didn't even restrained his dog and put him on a leash.

Bella narrowed her eyes and leaned towards me. She whispered, "Are they always this rude?"

Of course, she had no idea of knowing that werewolves, too, have sensitive hearing. Sam, Jacob and Seth exchanged looks while us vampires chuckled. Bella blushed a little at having been caught whispering something like that.

Billy ignored the amused titter and looked straight at Bella. Being her, she blushed deeper. I smiled, running my hand down her arm reassuringly. Billy narrowed his eyes at that.

"Bella," he said slowly. "Would you mind talking to me for a private moment?"

Bella shot me a curious look, but I shook my head. Emmett was the one who answered. "No!" he bellowed. "You said you wanted to talk, face to face, so do it dammit. But our sister's not going anywhere out of our sight."

Esme sighed. "Emmett, sit down," she scolded. She turned back towards the wolves. "What my son is trying to say is that we would prefer it if Bella would stay in the same room as us. We would like to ensure that she's safe, that's all."

Jacob's face contorted into one of pure anger. "We would never hurt her," he said, eyes blazing.

Billy had had enough. "That's fine," he said curtly. "I suppose you'd all want to be here when I say this…" He turned back to look at Bella. "Bells, your dad and I were best friends, you know that?"

Bella nodded her head, biting her lip. She was anxious as to how this would play out.

"I just want you to know that we have space for you at the reservation. Charlie would have been more than happy-"

Bella paled considerably and shook her head. "Billy, if you don't mind, I'd rather you not guilt me into this by saying how happy or how proud my parents would have been if I'd live with you instead," she said, raising her hand to stop the old wolf from speaking.

Billy looked surprised by this. He hadn't expected her to be able to speak like that or stand her own ground. "Yeah, sure," he said gruffly, still shocked.

Bella looked around with raised eyebrows. "Is this what this is about?" she asked, partly horrified, and partly amused. "You came here to ask me to leave my family?"

"Your family!?" Jacob shouted. Sam placed a hand on his shoulder but Jacob shoved it away. "Bella, these are bloodsucking leeches we're talking ab-"

Protests shot through the air quickly. Emmett and Jasper leapt to their feet while I pulled Bella closer to me. Rosalie and Sam looked as if they were about to just attack each other. Emmett was trying to protect her. Alice was frantic, unable to see anything. Seth looked around amusedly with childlike eyes. Billy shook his head, smacking his forehead with his palm. Carlisle and Esme were calling things to order.

Bella squeezed my marble hand as hard as she could, assuring me, then slid out of my grip. I wanted to protest, but I kept my mouth shut when I realized what she was doing.

Rose was the only one still in a fighting stance, facing off with Sam. Emmett was trying to restrain her and put distance between her and Sam.

Bella walked over to Rosalie and wrapped her arms around her waist. Rosalie immediately softened up and allowed Emmett to drag them both back to the couch. Bella sat next to her while Emmett sat on Rose's other side.

Jacob's eyes widened at the sight of Bella's obvious interaction with vampires. "What the he-"

"Language," Esme sang out. Sam looked at her disbelievingly.

Bella glared at Jacob. "You know, if you don't have anything nice to say-"

"I don't," he interrupted curtly, his eyes still bulging out at her lack of fear of vampires.

Bella refused to back down. "Then how about keeping your mouth shut?" she suggested coldly. I chuckled. _Leave it to Bella to stand up to a werewolf_, I thought wryly.

Jacob looked shocked and a little hurt at Bella's words. Bella sighed, shaking my head. "I appreciate your thought," she said, backpedaling. She wasn't one to hurt anyone's feelings and move on without feeling guilty. Even if they are rude and idiotic dogs. "And I can see where you're coming from, really. I know that you believe they're cold and heartless-"

"Which they a-"

"Don't," she interrupted Sam. He stopped, but continued to glare at her, as if he considered her to be betraying her own kind. From his thoughts, I gathered that he really did believe that.

"But they're my family. They _raised _me. I love them. I'm not going to leave them, of all things," Bella said firmly, looking at them straight in the eye as if it would convince them.

The very idea of being without her made my heart break. I could never allow such a thing. These dogs would have to fight 'til death if they believed they would take her away from me.

Of course, if Bella wanted to leave…

_Stop it, Edward. Hadn't she just said that she would never want to leave? _I reminded myself.

Seth smiled a little at her, and I realized that he didn't have the hostility that the others possessed. "Is it because you have a boyfriend?" Seth asked curiously. He nodded towards me, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

_Dude, you're so whipped even the little wolf kid can see it_, Emmett chuckled in his head, amused. I shot him a glare.

Bella, on the other hand, did not have the advantage of pale skin and no blood in her system. Needless to say, she blushed. Hard. "Uh, n-no," she stuttered shyly. "He-he's just my friend."

I ignored the pain shooting through my dead heart.

"Not your brother?" Sam asked sharply, looking from me to Carlisle to Esme, as if he were deducing something.

_If she doesn't consider him her brother, how does she consider him? Does their leader want Bella to be the vampire's mate? Sick, plain sick._

Bella frowned. "What difference does it make?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

Billy seemed to have reached the same conclusion. He looked back at a confused Jacob and Seth. "Would the two of you mind going outside with Bella?" he asked grimly.

"Absolutely not!" Jasper growled.

Billy looked back at us. "We need to discuss something important, and I'm sure you don't want Bella to hear this," he said.

I was silent as Jasper and Emmett made their protests known. I was listening in to Billy Black's thoughts, trying to see if he had any intention of his wolf children to snatch Bella away while she was defenseless.

Finally, I spoke. "He's telling the truth. They're not intending to snatch her away. He just wants to talk without Bella in the room," I said out loud.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?" he asked naively.

_That was so creepy. Maybe he can, like, read minds or something…I wish I could read minds and find out if Jake's been stealing my magazines. I _know _he's the one putting it out in plain sight for mom to find! I just have to prove it…_

I smiled, amused at this boy's musings. He didn't seem as hostile as the others, and he was fairly innocent. For a werewolf. "I'm telepathic," I announced.

Seth's eyes widened and a huge smile broke out on his face. "Cool!" he said eagerly.

"_Seth_!" Sam snapped. Seth immediately stopped talking, but the excited sparkle in his eyes never left. I grinned, shaking my head.

"Alright," Carlisle allowed. "Bella, would you go outside to talk to Jacob and Seth for a few minutes?"

Bella rolled my eyes. "Sure, wouldn't want to get in the way of Mythical Creatures Annual Barbeque," she said sarcastically. I chuckled, smiling at her.

Bella blushed and turned back to Rosalie. She leaned forward and kissed Rose on the cheek. "Check the temper, mom," she joked.

Rosalie scowled, but smiled as she ran her hand through Bella's hair once.

Bella waved at us as she left the house. She went out to the garage, so we could all pretty much hear her. I sighed in relief. Without Alice's visions to aid us, we really needed to know if danger was on the horizon.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Sam turned to us and snarled. "Is that your sick plan?" he shot at me. "To turn her and have her be your mate?" he spat out in disgust.

I rose to my feet. "You don't even know what you're talking about," I said, even though what he said was true.

"Sam, back down," Billy barked. He turned his gaze on us, then spoke directly to Carlisle. "Is that what you have planned?" he asked, his black eyes blazing.

Carlisle bit his lip. "It wasn't planned," he said slowly. "Edward and Bella…Their feelings for each other have developed throughout the years," he was struggling to explain. _How do I explain it in such a way that they would understand?_

"So you are planning on her becoming his mate?" Billy clarified.

"Yes," Alice piped up.

"How dare you?" Sam bellowed. "She's human!"

I was starting to lose my temper. How could they think that I was forcing myself on Bella. I'd never do anything to harm her. "I'm not forcing her to do anything!" I yelled. "If she doesn't want me," pain, sheer pain. "Then I won't force it. I'll let her be with anyone she wants. She deserves it."

Sam huffed, still in a crouching stance. "Damn right she does," he growled.

I ignored that, and continued. "But if she wants to…" I looked down, embarrassed at having to discuss this with two strangers. Enemies, no less.

I didn't have to finish my sentence as Alice spoke up. "I have visions of the future," she said.

Sam and Billy looked at her, a little surprised by this. "What does that have to do with anything?" Billy asked confusedly.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I saw Edward and Bella together. As a couple," she finished. Sam let out an enraged howl, but Billy yelled at him to calm down.

_If we lose our temper and attack, it would be on our heads. This is their land. We came over with permission, but attacking them here? The other Elders would have our heads. It would mean war. I hope Sam realize that._

Alice wasn't fazed by Sam's temper, but Jasper stood partially in front of her to block him lest he tried something. "None of us forced Bella. Just like Edward said. If she wants to be with him, then so be it. What's the harm?" she shrugged, though her eyes narrowed as she sized Sam and Billy calculatingly.

"What's the harm?" Sam repeated mockingly. "She's human. He could kill her!"

I flinched away at the harsh truth.

Billy regarded Carlisle with ancient wisdom. "Or are you planning on turning her?" he asked quietly.

Carlisle sighed. "It's not up to us anymore," he said sadly.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Do you know of the Volturi?"

Sam looked confused but Billy Black nodded his head. "The vampire Royal. They're in Italy, right?" he asked disinterestedly.

Carlisle nodded his head. "They paid a visit years ago. They want Bella to be one of us-"

"No."

Billy's answer was cold, hard and undeterred. It was obvious that he thought he had a say in the matter.

"Mr. Black," Carlisle said politely, trying not to anger Billy or his irate werewolf friend. "Neither you nor I have any say in this. If Bella doesn't become one of us by her eighteenth birthday, they will kill her."

Billy's russet face paled. "We'll take her. Hide her," he said, grasping at straws.

Jasper shook his head. "They have guards who are extremely well versed in tracking and combat," he informed Billy.

"We're not afraid to fight," Sam growled.

Emmett rolled his eyes and flexed his muscles. "Well, neither are we," he snapped back. It was clear that he caught on to the double meaning behind Sam's words. "But this isn't about you or your precious feelings. It's about Bella's life."

"The life that would be taken from her anyway? You do realize that once you bite her, she'll die?"

"It's not killing her!" Alice said angrily. "It's giving her a chance to live for eternity!"

"How could you leeches even begin to think that this is a good idea-"

"Stop!" Bella's voice commanded. We all turned to face the doorway, where she stood. A livid expression was on her face as she regarded the room. In our heated arguments, we hadn't realized that she had left the garage and had come back to the house.

She strolled in, her anger never wavering as she glared at a room full of vampires and werewolves. Jacob and Seth came in after her. Jacob looked almost as angry as she did. Seth looked sheepish and anxious.

Bella didn't take her place next to me. Instead, she stood in the middle ground between vampires and werewolves. She stared us down, hands on her hips.

We waited with bated breath for her to speak the words she came in to say.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I went out into the garage and Jacob and Seth followed me quietly. I went to my McLaren and ran my hand down the side, sighing.

Jacob and Seth whistled as they saw the car. "Man, that is awesome," Jacob said, staring at the car in admiration.

I smiled proudly, patting the hood affectionately. "Isn't it?" I gushed. "My mom, Edward and Alice got it for me for my sixteenth birthday. But they gave it to me before school started as an early present," I told them.

Jacob frowned at the mention of my family. "Your _mom_?" he spat out the word.

"Which one is that?" Seth asked quickly, probably to stop Jacob from saying something stupid. "The older one? What was her name…?"

"Esme?" I guessed. He nodded. "No. Well, yes, she's my mother, too. But I was talking about Rosalie, the blonde one."

Seth nodded slowly, as if he was accepting this new information. "So you have two moms?"

I nodded my head. "Esme and Rose are my mothers, and Carlisle's my dad," I said. "Emmett's more like a big brother than a dad, but that's because he's just silly that way. You should've seen him at school. He's three times as protective as Carlisle would ever be."

I rolled my eyes, remembering the way he had freaked out just because Mike was talking to me. And in front of the entire cafeteria, too. I had never been so embarrassed before. Attention was never a good thing for me.

Jacob and Seth were silent so I walked to the back of my car.

I should probably start heaving shopping bags upstairs. Though, Edward, Emmett and Jasper could do it once and get it over with…Maybe I'd just ask them to do it later.

No, it would just trouble them and I didn't want that. I took my keys out of my pockets - having never took them out - and opened the trunk.

Seth stared open mouthed at all the shopping bags. "What, did you burn all of your things or something?" he asked, choking on the words.

I laughed, shaking my head. "No. Alice just loves to shop," I explained. "Add in Rose and we have a crazy party of three girls going around buying everything in sight."

Jacob growled and shook his head. "Okay, look, can we not talk about this as if you've been adopted by a normal family?" he asked, almost pleading.

I sighed, slamming the trunk close. I think I would wait for Edward, Emmett and Jasper after all.

"No, Jacob, my family's not normal. Then again, bursting into wolf form doesn't exactly scream 'normal' either, does it?" I raised an eyebrow. "My family's loving. They care. They wouldn't hurt a fly. And they love me. It's all a girl could ask for."

Seth leaned against the wall behind my McLaren. "So…You're not afraid of them or anything?" he asked.

I shrugged. "What's to be afraid of?"

"_They suck blood_!"

"And you turn into a werewolf when you're angry, and you eat raw meat!" I shot back. He looked shocked that I would know that. "Oh, don't be so surprised. You live with vampires, you start getting curious about mythology."

Jacob let it go for the moment and turned back to my car. "You know, this really is a sweet ride," he said appreciatively.

I smiled at him. "You know a lot about cars?"

He nodded his head eagerly, smiling widely. "I build cars," he said proudly. "Nothing as extravagant as this, obviously," he gestured towards my McLaren, making me laugh. "But it's still awesome for me."

I bit my lip. "That sounds pretty cool," I said. "I started learning about cars a few years ago, but I still feel awkward doing anything with them except drive. I feel like an amateur whenever I try to do anything else," I admitted, blushing.

Jacob and Seth laughed at that. "Well, you'd get better in time," Jake assured me. "Trust me, it's not all that hard. You just have to practice."

I turned to Seth. "What about you?"

Seth shrugged. "I don't really know much about cars. That's Jake's thing," he said with a smile.

Jake sniggered. "Yeah, Seth's all about a certain kind of magazines these days," he teased. Seth turned a bright shade of red. I realized what Jake must have meant, and blushed as well.

"Aw, it's okay, kid," Jacob taunted, ruffling Seth's hair. Seth shoved his hand away with a scowl. "It just means you're growing up."

I thought I heard Seth mutter something about killing Jacob and feeding him to grizzly bears. I smirked. "Jake, stop. You're embarrassing him," I scolded, though I still couldn't keep the blush from my face.

Jacob, of course, noticed this, and begun to tease me instead. "What? You're not comfortable talking about-"

"Jacob!" Both Seth and I yelled.

He just chuckled as he leaned back against the wall, hands in his pocket. "Okay, okay!" he said finally. "Sheesh! You people are such prudes! It was just a joke, okay?" he grinned at us.

I rolled my eyes, and started asking him about Rebecca and Rachel. I remembered them from when I would visit La Push with my dad. Jake started talking about them with enthusiasm. He obviously loved his sisters very much, and he missed them. I was right - they had gone to college already.

After I was done, and Seth had finished asking me about the places I had lived in and visited before, silence fell upon us.

Jacob stood next to Seth, arms folded across his chest. "So…You and that male leech-"

"Jacob!"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. That _vampire_. Happy?"

"Oh, immensely," I said sarcastically.

He grinned slightly.

I raised an eyebrow, knowing which direction this conversation was going. "Are you talking about Edward?"

Jacob's grin slipped off his face, and he scowled at me. "If you're talking about the one you're cuddling with, then yes," he said gruffly.

I felt my face heat up as he said this, and shuffled my feet. "I was not cuddling with him!" I said indignantly. "I was just…" I trailed off, not really knowing how to explain my relationship with Edward to him.

Jacob shook his head. "You do know that they're all planning on you becoming his mate, right?" he asked me, raising his eyebrow.

I blushed even harder. "How could you even say that?" I snapped. "Look, you don't even know how it's like between Edward and I."

Edward and I. I liked the sound of that.

I shook myself out of it, scowling at that random thought, and continued. "And you know what? I don't have to justify myself to someone I hadn't seen since he was five!"

Jacob snorted. "And whose fault is that?" he waved in the direction of the house.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "They took me in, Jake," I reminded him. "They gave me a home."

"You should really stop talking about them as if they're saints," he snapped at me, starting to pace. His agitation was reaching a new level now. Seth merely looked pained, and sad. He was gazing at me as if he was seeing a ghost.

I turned to Seth, seeing as how I believed Jacob wouldn't tell me even if I asked. "What are they talking about in there?" I asked him. I think they would know. Maybe that was why Jacob was growing angrier with each passing second.

"Seth," Jacob growled threateningly.

Seth shrank back, probably in fear. But I shook my head. "Seth, I want to know," I said firmly. "Please?"

He sighed, and gave in.

******************************************************************************

I walked in to find every single person, other than Billy of course, on their feet. Billy had a livid expression on his face as he and Sam argued with my family. They were talking about my change, just like Seth said they were.

"Stop," I called out in a loud, clear voice.

Every single person stopped talking. If I hadn't been so mad, I would've laughed at the sight of seven vampires and two werewolves freezing at the mere sound of one word coming from my mouth.

I walked in and stared them down. I was aware of Jacob and Seth going to stand by Billy and Sam.

I glared at them all once more and opened my mouth. "I can't believe that you would have this conversation without me," I said in a low voice. If I spoke any louder, I would just start screaming.

"Bella-"

I cut Edward's words off. I shook my head. "No," I said harshly. He looked hurt by my tone, so I took in a deep breath, softening it. I had to calm down. "This was my decision," I said, looking at the Quileute men. "Not theirs. Even if the Volturi hadn't come down and demanded it, I would have asked for it."

Billy, Sam, Jacob and Seth looked shocked and disgusted by it. "Why would you do that?" Jacob asked, choking on his words.

I shrugged. "Because I won't live without my family," I answered simply.

Billy shook his head. "Bella, this is ridiculous. Come with us. We'll protect you. You don't have anything to worry about," he tried.

I raised my hand to stop him. "I appreciate your offer, Billy. But no. You don't understand my feelings for them. You can't waltz in here and expect to know how things go around here," I said.

"Enlighten us, then," Jacob said through gritted teeth.

I glared at him. Did he have to be so rude towards my family? "It would be longer than the Gettysburg Address. And that was about a war," I smiled slightly.

I let out a huge sigh. "My change is inevitable. Not only have I accepted it, I welcome it. I want to be with my family forever, and that's that," I concluded. "I understand the terms of the treaty-"

"You do?" Billy asked point blank.

"I am a Cullen, you know?" I reminded him. Billy flinched at that. I ignored him. "So I know that you specified that the Cullens can't change a human anymore. But I'm asking you to make an exception."

Sam's nostrils flared as he glowered at me, arms defensively across his chest. "Under what circumstances?" he asked.

"My life," I said evenly. "If I'm not changed by the Cullens, the Volturi would come. It doesn't matter if they hide me in a cave under a volcano somewhere. They'd find me. And when they do, they'd kill me. Or, worse, change me back in Italy. Wouldn't you prefer my being with the Cullens? Not harming any humans? Or would you rather I feast on an Italian town?"

Every single person in the room stared at me as if I had two heads for speaking so calmly about drinking blood.

"We'd _prefer _you stay human," Jacob said.

I sighed. "I know. And I understand that. But my humanity is going to last only for two more years," I explained. I walked over to where Edward stood. "It's not an option. And I don't want it to be. Please try to understand, even if you can't accept that."

Billy sighed. "We're not having much progress here," he said, shaking his head. "Bella, we'll have to talk to the rest of the pack. We'll be in touch."

He said this more as a warning to the others, instead of a promise to me.

Sam wheeled Billy out of the house. Seth stopped at the door. "It's…Nice to meet you, Bella," he smiled a little. "It's a really great car you have!"

I waved at him as he left. Jacob stayed behind, narrowing his eyes at the others. "I guess this is it," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah. I guess it is," I agreed. I walked over to him and he wrapped one arm around me in an awkward hug. I patted his back gently.

Edward growled behind me when Jacob didn't let go so I laughed and pushed Jake away playfully. "It was nice seeing you again, Jake," I said sincerely. I honestly thought Jacob was a nice guy. If he hadn't felt so much hostility towards my family and if there wasn't that mutual enemies thing between us, then I was positive that we would be good friends.

Jake smiled back at me, his white teeth showing. "You, too, Bells. Take care, alright? I'll… Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

I didn't know if that was possible, with everything going around. I would actually like it if we could hang out…If he didn't mention anything about 'bloodsuckers' or 'leeches' or try to get me to leave my family, that is.

So I said, "Maybe."

I watched as Jake went inside Billy's car, and the four of them drove away. Seth was still waving enthusiastically at me as they went by.

I waved back, laughing, and turned back to face my family. Closing the door behind me, I acknowledged their stunned expressions.

"What?" I asked, confused.

Emmett shook his head, slowly sinking down to sit on the couch. "You do realize you just mouthed off to a bunch of werewolves, right?" he asked me in astonishment.

I snorted. "I didn't mouth off to them, Emmett. I told them the truth. Besides, you really shouldn't have talked about it without me. I don't appreciate my decisions being made for me," I said sternly.

Edward smiled sheepishly at me. "I'm sorry, Bella. Billy thought it would be best if we had it without you. He thought it would upset you," he explained.

I raised an eyebrow. "And do you agree?" I asked. He didn't answer me, but the look in his eyes told me everything. "Edward, stop," I said firmly. "I don't regret making that deal. I want to be with you for eternity. That's not negotiable."

His eyes searched my face, as if he was trying to see if I was lying. I kept my eyes locked on his, waiting for him to realize the obvious.

Finally, he broke out into the biggest, most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. My traitorous heart thudded violently in my chest. I wondered if he could hear it. I blushed, wondering if they all could. No, it was too embarrassing to think like that.

Edward was by my side in an instant, and had enveloped me in a huge hug. I leaned into him and closed my eyes, enjoying the sweet scent of him.

Suddenly he pulled away. "Bella," he said mischievously. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you smell like a dog."

I laughed, remembering how Carlisle had said that werewolves smell terrible to vampires, just like vampires smelt too sweet to be pleasant for werewolves.

I shoved him aside playfully, though it hardly had any effect on him. He pretended to stumble just the same, which made me laugh even harder. "I'll shower," I promised. "Could you go get the bags from my car? I think we forgot about them earlier."

Edward nodded, as did Emmett and Jasper. He gave me one last smile and left for the garage.

I watched him leave with a small smile on my lips, then turned to head up the stairs.

Jake had said that Carlisle and the others meant for Edward to be my mate. I didn't know if that was true or not, but it seemed too big a secret to keep, even from me. They would have told me if that were true.

And, really, it was ridiculous. Edward was my best friend. That was all. There was nothing remotely romantic about it.

_But if there was something romantic about it, would it be so bad?_ A tiny little voice in my head asked with a devious chuckle.

I pushed the thought aside. That was hardly appropriate.

Edward and I were best friends.

We were going to have eternity together.

We had kissed before, and my heart would go crazy every time he smiled at me.

And, according to Jasper, we were soul mates.

I sighed as I stepped into my bathroom. I think I might need another aspirin.

______________________________________________________________________________

_I will post the boyfriend chapter in a few hours. I hope you'll enjoy reading both this and that chapter._

_I don't know if I did Jacob any justice. All I know was that in this story, she hadn't seen him since he was six, so their relationship couldn't have really been strong. He was five and she only visited with her dad every once in a while._

_The next chapter would be the boyfriend one. I won't have him around for too long. I just want Edward to be jealous. I think it's funny when he gets all protective and possessive. Besides, Bella needs to realize her feelings. It'll be around seven chapters, but I won't overdo the BF/GF thing. I'll put in lots of ExB, I promise._

_Thank you so much for reading, and please do review._

_Juliet._


	32. Gabriel

_**A/N:**__ Bella's boyfriend!!!!!!!!!! LOL. Sorry, I'm super hyper today. I realized that I said there's a plotline I wanted to write before Bella's BF, but I thought it would be better once Edward and Bella were together. So here it is, her journey to realizing she loves Edward._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

Alice was acting strange today. She woke me up as early as she did the first day of school. She practically shoved me into the shower while she picked out my outfit from the humongous amount of clothes she had bought for me in Port Angeles.

When I was done showering, she made me sit in front of the vanity in my robe while she did my hair and make-up. I felt like I was preparing myself for a formal event.

The make-up was light, so it didn't feel or look like I had actually worn any make-up. Alice pinned up my hair from both sides and let the rest flowed down my back.

She then gave me the blue v-neck tunic we had just bought and a pair of jeans to change into. I sighed, giving in.

Once I was done, she gave me Edward's bracelet. I took it wordlessly and put it on, but raised my eyebrows at her questioningly.

Alice merely shrugged as she made sure my hair was fine. "Just for luck," she grinned. "You're going to want it today."

I glared at her reflection. I hated it when she kept things from me. But Alice wasn't fazed by this as she practically pushed me out of the door. I felt something brush past my leg and looked down to see Lilly clawing on my jeans, as if she wanted to climb up my leg.

I smiled and scooped her up into my arms, taking her with me downstairs. She was probably hungry.

I went downstairs to find Edward sitting at the kitchen counter, rubbing his temples. He looked frustrated. I gave him a knowing look. "Is Alice blocking you out?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "Rose, too," he answered. "Was it really necessary to do this?" he muttered angrily.

I shrugged. "Don't look at me. They're not telling me anything, either," I laughed. I prepared a bowl of Lilly's catnip, and grabbed a granola bar for myself.

Edward eyed it with a critical look on his face. "Bella," he said disapprovingly. "That's hardly a proper breakfast."

I smiled innocently up at him. "And what would a 'proper breakfast' be? Mountain lions or grizzlies?"

Edward scowled at me, but Emmett simply laughed as he came into the kitchen. "See?" he said proudly to Edward. "Kid's got spunk."

He reached out to muss my hair the same time Alice screamed. Emmett's hand froze. "I suggest you don't do that unless you want Alice to burn your hand off," I advised him. His hand promptly fell to his side.

Edward and I shared a look and burst out laughing. It was incredibly funny to see big, scary Emmett afraid of tiny, pixie Alice.

Emmett scowled at us while Rosalie crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. To this day, it still amazed me that she was able to hug him fully. I could never do that. He was just so big.

"Come on, baby," Rosalie purred. "Let's head out a little earlier."

I made a face at them, and Edward laughed, shaking his head. "It's been ten years, Bella," he teased. "Aren't you supposed to be used to it by now?" His smiled slipped suddenly, and he frowned at Emmett and Rosalie. "I really don't need to see that," he chided.

Rose and Em barely acknowledged him. I snickered. "It's been ten years, Edward," I begun.

He glared at me. "Don't," he growled.

Alice's tinkling laugh was accompanied by her entrance. Jasper was close behind. "Rose and Em need time alone," she winked at the couple. "Edward, would you mind driving us?"

Edward nodded as we made our way out of the house. Rosalie and Emmett were still in the house. I didn't even want to think of what they might be doing.

I made my way to the Volvo, but Alice stopped me. "You're taking the McLaren today," she said, throwing me the keys.

Being me, I almost let it slipped through my fingers. Blushing, I gripped the keys in my hand tightly. "I am?" I asked, confused. Alice nodded her head. "Why?"

She giggled, dancing over to Edward's car. "You're going to drive someone home today," she called over her shoulder.

I frowned at her as she slipped inside the Volvo. Jasper merely shrugged and went in after her. Edward and I shared a look, but we both made our way to our respective cars.

I worried about the attention my McLaren was going to receive. I didn't want it. I would much rather I went by unnoticed, but who would just pass by a McLaren?

Maybe I was getting a little obsessive about my car. It was all Edward's and Rosalie's fault. They got me into this! Edward subscribed to Car and Driver for me once he got tired of telling me which model was which (after I'd complained about his obsession with Volvos, of course) and Rose taught me everything about cars…Not that I minded.

The obsession couldn't be healthy, though.

I suddenly got a very nasty image of a big dent on the side of my car. What if someone scratched the paint? Or crashed it? Or spray-painted it?

I had arrived at the school without even realizing it, and parked right next to Edward's Volvo. I was already hyperventilating. Edward tapped on my window, an amused look on his face. I grabbed my bag, slid the key out of the ignition and got out. Slamming the door behind me, I face him. "What if it crashes?" I asked, hysterical.

"Your car?" he asked, a smirk on his face. "Who would get a hold of the keys?"

"They don't need the keys!" I said, grabbing at the front of his shirt. "Ever heard of hot-wiring a car?"

Edward chuckled, prying my fingers from his shirt. "I've got to talk to Emmett about telling you stories of our past…It's clearly giving you delusions," he mused, almost to himself.

"Edward!" I glared. "I'm not having delusions. This is a real fear based on a real incident that happened in real life."

He opened his mouth to say something, probably a joke of some sort, but something else caught his attention. He smiled widely at me. "It seems as if your McLaren has caught the attention of certain people," he said to me.

I groaned, shaking my head. "That's it, I'm taking it home," I said firmly, moving to turn around.

Something cold caught my wrist and Alice spun me back around. "Smile for the camera, angel," she said.

I stared at her curiously. "What camera?" I asked, puzzled.

She sighed. "It's an expression, Bella," she said exasperatedly

"It is?"

"Yes, now shut up."

Someone called my name and I turned around to look. It was Mike. Of course. The first person who had to come up to me would be Mike. I fought the urge to get in my McLaren and drive all the way to Canada.

Jasper felt my emotions and chuckled, leaning against the car. I scowled at him. I pulled my face into a smile…As much of a smile as I could actually muster, anyway. When Mike came close enough, I greeted him. "Hey, Mike," I said uneasily.

"Is this yours?" he asked, impressed, as he ran his hand over the hood of the car.

I bit my lip to keep from asking him to not touch the car. I didn't want to be rude to him. "Yes," I answered simply.

"It's pretty cool."

I shrugged. "Uh…," I scrunched my face up in concentration to find a proper answer. I really didn't know what to say when someone said something like 'it's cool'. It seemed too strange, sometimes, to answer with a 'thank you' or a 'yeah' or an 'it's awesome!'

Thankfully, I was saved from answering when someone else came by. Unfortunately, that someone else were Tyler and Lauren, and they, too, were looking at my car. Tyler looked awed. Lauren looked ready to kill.

"I-I'm going to get to class," I fumbled with my bag, my cheeks turning red at all this attention. Even if it was directed at my car, not at me.

"That's a great car, Bella!" Tyler exclaimed. Lauren shot death glares at me.

I bit my lip, looking at anywhere but at Lauren. "Um…It's really no big deal," I said, trying to distract them from the car. What had I been thinking when I listened to Alice? I should have just jumped into the Volvo the first chance I had.

"Really?" a new voice asked. Edward growled suddenly, and I raised my eyebrows at him. But that new voice…I'd heard it somewhere. It was so familiar…

That voice continued. "I think it is very amazing," it said. My eyes widened as I made the connection. The French accent, the soothing voice…

I spun around and came face to face with-

"Gabriel!" I yelled, my face breaking out into a huge smile. I launched myself at him and hugged him fiercely around the neck.

He laughed, his smooth voice washing over me. I smiled. I hadn't heard that laugh in so long. "Tu me manques beaucoup," he whispered. He had missed me.

I pulled back to look into his startling blue eyes. "Tu me manques aussi," I replied. I pulled back slightly more so that I could look at him fully. "Let me look at you," I said, and he obediently stood still for me. I felt his gaze raking from my head to my feet and blushed.

He looked the same as he did a few years back, only better. His eyes were the same shade of dark blue that had captivated me back in Paris. His brown hair was in slightly ruffled waves. He held himself tall. He wore a dark shirt with a brown leather jacket, and jeans. He looked so… Gorgeous.

"Gabriel…" His name came out in a sigh. "What are you doing here?" I hugged him again.

Gabriel brushed my cheek with his fingertips and smiled gently at me. "I convinced my parents to let me study in America," he explained. "I told them I wanted adventure."

I laughed, shaking my head. "And you decided to find it _here_? In _Forks_?" How odd. I would have chosen California. Los Angeles. Miami. But Forks? The rainiest town in America? What was so adventurous here? "What could possibly be so interesting here, Gabriel?" I chuckled.

He cupped my cheeks with his hands. "Well, _you _are here," he said simply, as if that would explain it all.

I felt my cheeks burn and he smiled exuberantly, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. I heard someone cleared their throat, and turned to see quite a sight.

Alice was bouncing on her heels, grinning from ear to ear. Jasper, next to her, looked a little surprised, but he was smiling, too. Edward looked mutinous. He was glaring at Gabriel as if he had committed the biggest crime.

Mike and Tyler were sulking and Lauren was looking at Gabriel in envy.

"Who's this?" Mike asked bluntly.

I took Gabriel's hand in mine, and our fingers entwined together without thinking. I pulled him towards my friends…If that's what you call Mike, Tyler and Lauren.

"This is Gabriel," I introduced, smiling at the boy I thought I'd never see again. "Gabriel, this is Mike, Tyler, and Lauren. And you didn't really get a chance to see my family in Paris, but this is Jasper, Alice and Edward," I pointed them out.

It was true. Gabriel had only gotten to know Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie in Paris. He saw the others only briefly when I first bumped into him outside the elevators at the hotel, and when we were saying goodbye.

When he'd met Edward, for the shortest minutes of his life, Edward had snarled, growled and stormed off. God only knew why he was acting like that, but Gabriel had been kind enough not to bring it up.

I hoped he wouldn't remember them, and how they looked like. It would be a problem if he noticed that they never aged.

I would have to talk to Carlisle and Esme about this when I got home. "Bonjour," he said, smiling at them all.

When he looked at Alice, Jasper and Edward, a small frown graced his lips, but it was immediately gone. I glanced over to Jasper to know that he had calmed Gabriel down.

I groaned internally. This would probably be enough of a reason for my family and I to stay away from him. Wonderful.

I tugged on his hand that was entwined with mine. "Gabriel, have you gotten your schedule?" I asked, hoping to distract him.

It worked. He grinned sheepishly at me and shook his head. I tilted my head to the side to indicate the office. "Come on, I'll walk you to the office," I offered.

Gabriel nodded his head and we were off. I looked back to where my family were standing. Edward was already gone. Alice was winking at me while Jasper tried to calm her down in vain.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the front. Thank God I didn't stumble on the way to the office.

Of course, I just had to stumble when I walked into the office.

Gabriel caught me and smiled. "Just as clumsy as I remembered, Belle," he said, using the nickname he'd acquired for me.

It was just a variation of my name in French. He had wanted to use it because he said it described me perfectly. _Beautiful_.

I blushed and allowed him to lead me to the front desk. "Hello," Gabriel said. For the first time, I noticed that he was nervous. I smiled.

"Mrs. Cope?" I called out to the woman behind the desk. She looked up and she started when she saw Gabriel. "This is Gabriel Toussaint. He's a new student here…?"

Mrs. Cope nodded her head, understanding, and handed out Gabriel's schedule to him. With a patient smile, she explained his classes and whatnot. She needn't have - I was in almost all of his classes. The only classes we didn't share were Biology and Gym. He was taking Spanish, which I found odd.

Once we were outside of the office, I asked him why he hadn't just taken French for his second language. He shrugged and said, "It would have seemed like cheating. I already know the language so why do I need to take a class on it?"

I laughed. "Do you mind telling my English teacher that?" I joked.

I took Gabriel to his assigned locker, and waited for him to put his things in it. We went to my locker next.

Whatever luck that had stopped us from being interrogated by several different people had ran out.

Gabriel and I were approached by Jessica and Lauren when we were at my locker. Lauren blatantly ignored me, casting flirtatious looks at Gabriel as he basically hid behind me. Jessica asked me who my 'new friend' was.

I smiled, closing my locker as I had everything for the day in order. I slipped an arm through Gabriel's and he relaxed, smiling at me. "This is Gabriel Toussaint," I introduced. "Gabriel, this is Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory."

"Nice to meet you, Gabriel," Lauren purred.

Gabriel looked petrified. I chuckled a little, and gently tapped Gabriel's chest with my hand. "We need to get to class, so…I'll see you guys around, okay?" I waved at them.

Once we were out of their earshot, and out of their line of vision, Gabriel shuddered. He turned to me. "Are American girls always that…" He trailed off, not knowing how to phrase it.

"Forward?" I supplied.

He nodded, relieved that he didn't have to think of an appropriate word that didn't involve a dirty word, probably. "Oui," he replied.

I shrugged. "Sometimes," I said slowly. "And sometimes they're worse."

I laughed at Gabriel's expression. He looked half stunned, half fearful. "Gabriel, are you _afraid_!?" I teased, pretending to be shocked.

We reached homeroom, and he sat next to me. It was still too early for class to begin. I noted that Alice wasn't there yet - she was probably still with Jasper.

Gabriel playfully scowled at me. "Of course not, mon cherie," he scoffed. "I'm never afraid."

I continued to smile at him, though I knew that what he said was the farthest thing from the truth. If he knew what my family was, what I was going to become, he would be incredibly afraid.

We went through our normal routines until it was time for Spanish class. I was slightly worried of Edward's reaction to Gabriel.

Alice was able to convince Gabriel that she was really the same age as me - but that was mostly because she was so tiny.

Alice had whispered quickly to me while Gabriel had been packing his bag that Emmett and Rosalie had their stories.

Emmett was going to say that he had dropped out of high school a few years back and was just coming back to junior year so he could graduate and go to college. Rosalie was going to say the same.

Jasper and Gabriel were never in the same room for longer than five seconds and even then they stayed at a distance, so he wasn't suspicious of Jasper.

But Edward? The growling vampire? What were we going to say? He definitely couldn't have passed for thirteen when Gabriel first met him. Maybe Edward could say he dropped out as well? No…Two was enough. But three was just plain unbelievable.

I stepped through the doors to Spanish class with Gabriel. While he went to give Senora Goff his slip for her to sign, I sat next to Edward. Jasper, on Edward's other side, seemed to be amused for some reason.

"Hello," I said tentatively. Edward seemed to be in a foul mood. Even though he had just returned from a hunting trip, his eyes were almost black.

Edward glanced at me, an irritated look on his face. "Does he _have _to have every single class with you?" he asked harshly.

I felt myself frowning at Edward's behavior. "Edward!" I chided. "I don't know what came over you in Paris, but you won't repeat that here. It's hard enough convincing Gabriel of your ages. We don't need to convince him that when you growl, it's really just the wind howling outside," I whispered.

Jasper snorted, his shoulders shaking in laughter. Even Edward seemed slightly amused by my wording. Gabriel came back to the empty seat beside me, and I gave Edward a warning look.

Gabriel, as it turned out, was pretty fluent in Spanish, as well. He needed to work on his nouns, but he spoke fairly enough.

When the bell rang for our lunch break, almost everyone begun filing out the door. They shot curious looks at Gabriel every now and then, and even at me, but we ignored that. Gabriel had more luck with that considering I blushed every time someone looked in our direction.

"Gabriel!" I heard a nasal voice call out. I winced and Gabriel stood up to stand right next to me. The owner of the voice, Lauren, didn't seemed fazed by it. Instead, she came much too close for my comfort. She wasn't just invading Gabriel's personal space anymore, she was invading mine, too.

She smiled widely at him, reminding me of a shark of some sort. "Gabriel," she said, her voice low. I raised an eyebrow at her, exchanging looks with Gabriel. "Why don't you sit with me? You must feel incredibly bored already," she said, shooting me a disdainful look.

God only knew why she hated me so much. Of course, she hated all us Cullen women. Rosalie almost tore her head off once, and I meant it literally.

Gabriel shrugged and turned to me. His hand found mine and his fingers wound with mine without a second thought. "I'm sorry, Lauren," he said politely. "But I have made plans to sit with mon belle amie."

I blushed while Jasper chuckled behind me. Lauren simply looked confused. It was safe to say that she didn't know a whole lot of French. "Huh?" she asked blankly. Gabriel translated it for her, and she glared at me.

"Hello, Edward, Jasper," she said in what I supposed was a semi-sweet voice. They both didn't return her greeting, and she stormed off, sulking.

"Bella, I'm sorry to assume," Gabriel said once she was gone. "I would just rather prefer it if I didn't have to sit with her…"

I laughed, noting his worried expression. "Don't worry about it, Gabriel," I assured him. We started walking in the direction of the cafeteria. "When did you arrive in Forks, Gabriel?"

"About two days ago. My older brother came with me, to make sure I don't turn into an American hooligan," he said. Pausing, he grinned at me. "No offense, Bella."

I snorted. "I've heard a lot worse," I said truthfully. How about bloodsucking leeches? Or vile insolent dogs?

We went to the cafeteria. Edward and Jasper didn't even bother to get their tray of food. I led Gabriel to the line and we slowly inched our way to the front. When we were finally done, I led him to the Cullen table.

Gabriel turned to me with the same worried look on his face. "I really wouldn't want to impose on your family," he said anxiously.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, Gabriel. They'd love to meet you properly," I said, tugging him towards the table. I took my seat next to Edward and he smiled at me. I grinned back at him, feeling the familiar flutter of my heart.

I frowned. Gabriel. Not Edward. Gabriel.

I re-introduced Gabriel to everyone. Emmett started to say something but I cut him off. It was either a 'I'm-going-to-be-your-worst-nightmare-if-you-hurt-her' speech or an embarrassing story on my part. Neither of which was a good idea.

"How are you enjoying American high school?" I asked him, taking a bite out of my pizza.

Gabriel shrugged. "It's a little strange being here. But it helps that I know you," he said sincerely. I felt my face heat up at his words. Why on earth did I have to blush so easily?

Edward growled low in his throat, but I could hear it because I sat right next to him. I shot him a glare which he readily matched with his own. "Why are you a sophomore?" he asked Gabriel, his harsh tone still evident. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the earth to swallow me up.

Gabriel didn't flinch away from Edward's cold gaze. That was impressive. "I'm a year older than Bella," he explained. "But to catch up with the American syllabus, I have to go through sophomore year. My father didn't want me to lack in my studies."

Just when I thought the awkwardness was over, Gabriel turned it around and asked Edward why he was a sophomore. He clearly remembered Edward to be older than I was. "I was held back a year," Edward shrugged, staring intently at the table.

"You seemed older when we met in Paris."

"I'm tall."

I looked to the others for some help. Rosalie and Jasper were watching the exchange worriedly. At least they were sane enough. Alice and Emmett, however, just seemed amused.

At my pleading look, however, Emmett cracked. "Hey, Gabriel?" he boomed, taking Gabriel's attention from a glaring Edward. Edward was suddenly chuckling in his seat, amusement etched on his face.

"Did you know that once, when Bella was six, she found out that we had a tree called a Weeping Willow, so she spent hours trying to cheer it up-"

"-Emmett-"

"-You know, like telling it jokes-"

"-_Please _stop-"

"-Ever heard the one about the rabbi, the priest and the duck?"

"_Oh, for the love of God_!" I buried my burning face in my hands.

Why on earth did I have to have Emmett for a brother?

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Emmett had seen the look on my face and judged my sour mood enough to know that I wanted Gabriel gone. Of course, you didn't have to see how I reacted to him to know I hated him.

Bella. _My _Bella. The woman that was supposed to fall in love with me, as I had fallen in love with her, was now gazing at this Gabriel Toussaint with lovesick eyes. How was that supposed to be alright with me?

I kept imagining reaching out and snapping his neck, or flinging him across the room with just one hand…I don't think Bella, or the others, would appreciate that at all.

_Tone it down, Edward_, Jasper was thinking. _Your envy is making _me _want to kill the boy_.

Maybe if Jasper killed him, Esme and Carlisle would just chalk it up to him falling off the wagon again…I groaned internally. What on earth was I thinking? I was going to use Jasper to kill, out of all things? I truly have gone insane.

I snuck a peek to my left. Bella was laughing at something Gabriel said, her brown eyes twinkling, her head thrown back as she laughed.

I could hear the envy across the room. The girls wanted Gabriel to come to them.

_From Paris? How romantic…I'll bet he's seduced, like, tons of hot European chicks._ He'd better not have. Wasn't it bad enough that Bella was interested in him? Did he have to be a Lothario, too?

_He's so hot! Bella is so lucky…_

_How on earth does that Hale girl get every single guy? Edward Cullen won't go out with anyone because he's too busy ogling her. And now this French dude? What is that all about? Did I step into a freaking Twilight Zone? I'm having a nightmare, aren't I? Wake up, self!_

I rolled my eyes at the idiocy of adolescents. Past or present, they were all still as immature and vain.

I checked Gabriel's mind to make sure that he didn't suspect any one of us.

_Bella is so beautiful. How do I tell her that I hadn't gotten her out of my mind since she left Paris? Maybe she doesn't want to hear it. I'll just stick to being friends for now. Maybe that's best? Her family are nice. Emmett looks really strong…What if I ask Bella out? Would she say yes? No? Maybe?_

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. This was getting too ridiculous. I turned to Gabriel before I could stop myself and the words flowed out without my thinking. "Why are you-" I caught Alice's warning look, so I held back my tongue. "-a sophomore?" _Why are you here?_

He answered, but I didn't quite pay attention. I couldn't care less why he was a sophomore. All I cared about was if he left for good.

Gabriel then asked me why I was a sophomore.

"You seemed older when we met in Paris," Gabriel said, his eyes narrowing. _I'm being ridiculous. How could he still be the same age as then? That's silly, Gabriel. Don't go pushing your luck when you want to impress Bella._

"I'm tall," I said curtly.

From their minds, I saw Bella giving the others a pleading look. Emmett took pity on her. I couldn't help but laugh at Emmett's idea of 'help'.

He begun telling Gabriel the story of Bella's Weeping Willow incident. Her cheeks flamed as she realized what story he was telling, and she begged him to stop. Being Emmett, he didn't. He continued retelling it until Rosalie stopped him.

I was still chuckling. Bella glared at me. "Not. Funny," she said through gritted teeth.

"Then why am I laughing?" I asked, snorting uncharacteristically after every word.

Gabriel laughed, and took Bella's hands away from her face. He kissed each of her palm once and smiled gently at her. "I took my fish out for a walk," he said unexpectedly.

Bella stared at him, unsure of his sanity. "What?" she asked, bewildered.

"When I was five, I wanted a pet. My father gave me a pet fish. I gave it a bubble bath and I took it for a walk…I didn't realize it was dead until my mother flushed it down the toilet," he said, his own cheeks reddening.

Bella laughed. "Did you just make that up?" she raised her eyebrow.

Gabriel shook his head, still blushing. "No. That-that really happened," he said shyly.

Bella smiled at him, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

A sudden crack was heard throughout the cafeteria. No one suspected us, of course, not even Gabriel who was sitting two chairs away from me. They looked around, noticed nothing unusual, and went on with whatever they were doing before.

Under the table, my hands had ripped off a part of the underside of the table. It was plastic, so it had created that loud sound. I dropped it to the floor, and hoped that no one noticed.

Bella looked at her watch. "Come on, Gabriel. I'll help you find your next class. It's going to start in about ten minutes," she said, nodding towards the door. Bella waved goodbye, and Gabriel smiled at us before they walked, hand in hand, out of the cafeteria.

I glared sulkily after them.

Emmett laughed, clapping my back with his hand. "Dude, I don't know why you're so upset about this," he said. "You know it's just a crush, right? I mean, the guy's human. Bella's gonna be immortal. No chance, man."

Jasper, too, tried to comfort me even though his mind was amused by the jealousy raging through me. "Edward, don't worry about it. You know she loves you. She just needs a push in the right direction," he assured me. _Who knew a puny human could cause such a reaction in a hundred year old vampire?_

Alice's eyes were sparkling as she squealed - quietly so that the humans wouldn't look at us. "I wonder if he'll ask her out," she mused out loud. _If he did ask her out, what should she wear? Blue flowing dress or green strapless dress? Hmm…_

Only Rosalie didn't offer any opinion. When Emmett, Jasper and I looked at her, her golden eyes widened and she shrugged. "What?" she said nonchalantly. "If it were up to me, my baby girl would be young and innocent forever."

I rolled my eyes, tapping my fingers on the table. I should just go to Biology. Or maybe I should leave early? Go hunting? No, I had already done that yesterday.

But would I be able to stand looking at Bella while she dreamed of Gabriel? Would she dream of him tonight? Would I be able to stand being near her when his scent was mixed up with hers?

I sighed, standing up and picking up my bag. I gave a sullen goodbye to my family and headed out to my next class.

Jessica tried to flirt with me again but I gave her a glare. She backed away immediately - with good cause, considering my eyes were already black with anger.

Biology. The one class I had with Bella that didn't include Gabriel. One class. _One_. How did I go from having nearly every class with Bella to just one where I could be alone with her? This was an outrage. The Gods were mocking me!

I sat at my desk, and waited for Bella to show up. I didn't have to wait long, because Bella showed up a few minutes later. Her flushed cheeks made me wonder what really happened with Gabriel.

What if they had kissed?

Horror shot through me.

What if they had really kissed? What if Bella decided that Gabriel was better?

I didn't have any experience after all…Our kiss, the one that had lasted for a much shorter time that I would have cared for, had been a spur of the moment decision. It had been my first kiss in my century old existence.

What if Bella and Gabriel had kissed, and she'd decided that he was better than me?

I glanced at her and studied her expression. She looked happy, and the blush on her cheeks was slowly fading. Her eyes were bright with excitement. But there was no way I could tell what had transpired between her and Gabriel.

I wished, more than anything, that I could read her mind.

Bella noticed that I was looking at her, and her cheeks flamed again. I smiled. I loved it when she blushed, but I loved it more when I was the reason for it.

"What?" she asked shyly.

I shook my head, my frown returning as I remembered that Gabriel was here. In her life. Right here in Forks.

Wasn't it bad enough that they had met in the first place? That Bella chose to keep in contact with him for three years? He had to come right at the time when Bella and I were supposed to be together?

Biology was a bore. Mr. Banner wanted us to dissect a frog. It was completely disgusting, of course, but I was more than an expert on how to do it. It was sad, yes, but I'd done it a million times before.

Bella knew, too. She did most of the practical, doing it with precision and care. She didn't move slowly, though, and we were the first pair done.

Mr. Banner came by our table and looked at our results. He wasn't surprised anymore than Bella and I were the first to finish. He merely walked away muttering 'Of course' under his breath.

We sat in silence for a while. I found it odd that Bella would simply continue sitting next to me without talking to me. She normally wouldn't stand it. We'd whisper to each other even _during _Mr. Banner's lectures.

I turned to her. "How's the day so far?" I asked nonchalantly. I didn't want to come right out and ask her about Gabriel. I was afraid that I would start shouting if I did, and I wouldn't want the both of us sent to the principal's office.

Though, if it made her evade Gabriel after school…

Bella shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "It was pretty good," she answered, her voice small. She ducked her head under her brown tresses, and started to doodle on her notebook. I peeked, but it was merely a mindless loop design. Nothing of significance.

I wanted to ask more, but Mr. Banner called for the class's attention. He wanted the others to finish their tasks while those who were done to clean up. Soon after, the bell rung.

I watched Bella head off to gym, not even offering to go with her. She was too out of it. It looked like she didn't even realize class was over as she stumbled her way down the hall.

I scowled, and went out to the parking lot. I sat in my car, and turned on the music. Debussy filled the air, but I quickly changed the CD to one of violent music. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, focusing on the thoughts erupting in the school.

I followed Mike Newton for a little while, to check in on Bella. She was harming everyone within a three mile radius. If her aim was bad previously, it was nothing compared to today. I wondered if it had anything to do with _him_.

I alternated between Gabriel's thoughts and Newton's thoughts.

To my chagrin, Gabriel didn't have one single horrible thought about him. Whenever he thought of Bella, he was only thinking of bringing her out to a nice place or telling her a new story or drawing her something nice. He didn't think like a vile teenager.

I was still scowling as my siblings climbed into my Volvo. Rose and Emmett had ran all the way to school after their morning…Escapade.

"What's your glitch?" Emmett asked, looking at me in concern. I snarled at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh. The French kid, huh?"

Speak of the devil. I saw, across the parking lot, Gabriel and Bella walking hand in hand towards her McLaren. "How are you getting home?" she asked him.

"I'm walking home," he said. I snorted. "My bike hasn't gotten here yet. It'll arrive by tonight."

Bella's eyes widened, and I could practically feel her excitement. "You have a bike?"

Gabriel nodded his head. "Yes. I…Could take you with me sometime, if you'd like," he offered with a smile.

I growled, and Rosalie almost went out of the car. Had it not been for Emmett restraining her, she would have pounced on Bella and yelled at her.

"Sure," Bella replied, nodding her head. "I'd love to." She glanced at her McLaren. "How about I give you a ride home?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't impose…"

"I insist."

I watched as Bella and Gabriel got into her McLaren, and watched as they drove off.

I pulled out of the parking lot and sped home. The car screeched to a halt in the garage and the others got out swiftly. I followed suit. "Edward, you almost damn near gave a vampire a heart attack," Emmett told me. "And that's saying something."

I ignored him and continued inside. I paced in the living room as I waited for Bella to get home.

Esme came out from the back where she had been gardening. She took off her gloves and set them aside. "Where's Bella?" she asked.

I felt a growl building up inside my chest, but I suppressed it. It wasn't quick enough, though, and Esme caught it. Her smile turned into a frown. "What? What happened? Was it the werewolves?"

I didn't answer her and continued to pace.

_Will somebody tell me what's going on!?_

Alice curled up on the couch next to Jasper. "It wasn't the wolves," she chirped. "It was a boy."

Her frown deepened. _I don't understand._ "A boy?" she repeated slowly.

Rosalie bit her lip as she looked at the clock. "Gabriel, to be exact," she murmured. She, too, was counting the seconds until Bella returned. She wasn't all too excited for Bella to be around a boy, either.

"Gabriel? The boy from Paris? Were there any…Complications?" Esme asked, her voice tight with worry as she sat in Carlisle's armchair.

Jasper shook his head. "No. He didn't suspect anything. We managed to worm ourselves out," he chuckled at his own words.

I turned to Alice, who was singing songs by the Chipmunks in her head. "Alice," I growled. "If you've seen something, I want to know what it is."

She shook her head. "I can't do that, Edward. It'll ruin all the fun," she said excitedly.

"Bella's out there with a boy!" I shouted. "I don't want fun! I want Bella!"

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Do you always have to be so dramatic?" she asked, her hands on her hips. I merely glared, and she sighed. "Fine. But don't blame me if you end up not having any fun at all."

One vision flashed after another. Most of them were of Bella being indecisive about Gabriel. Then there were visions of Bella and I, laughing together, and having a good time. There was one of us lying down on our stomachs somewhere, with our faces only an inch apart. Then Bella was crying, in an evening dress, as she ran from a stunned Gabriel. He looked too hurt to have actually done the hurting.

None of this made any sense to me. I stared at Alice, confused. "She needs to be with him now, Edward," Alice informed me. "It's how she realizes she's in love with you."

I stood there, with my mouth hanging open. She would realize she was in love with me by being with another man? How ludicrous.

But if it were true, then she would realize it very soon. Would that mean that she and I would be together soon? That I would be able to kiss her again, anytime I wanted to? That I would be able to hug her or hold her hand or pull her close anytime I felt like it?

This was all too much to take in. "I need to sit," I said weakly.

The front door opened and closed with a gentle click. Bella was considerate even when she wasn't intending to. "Mom?" she called out. "Are you home?"

"In here, darling," Esme called out. Bella appeared in the living room, a bright smile plastered on her face. "How was school?"

Bella looked around at us, and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell her about Gabriel?" she asked, shock coloring her tone.

"The universe doesn't revolve around him, you know?" I muttered quietly to myself. I could hear my siblings laughing in their minds as they fought to keep a straight face for Bella.

Esme chuckled. "Oh, no, they did. I was merely being polite," she patted the arm of the chair, asking Bella to sit there.

Bella complied, walking forward - and stumbling on the carpet - and sitting on the arm of Esme's chair. She wrapped her arm around my waist. "So what happened, sweetheart?" she asked me.

She blushed. "Nothing. He just came here to study. I gave him a lift home," I heard her mumble.

I laughed sarcastically, making all of them look at me. I didn't care if Gabriel would make her realize she was in love with me. I wanted to be the one to make her realize it. And I would, too. Gabriel needed to leave.

"Right. He just happened to come to Forks of all places," I said bitingly.

Bella shook her head at me. "Why do you hate him so much, Edward?" she asked, her voice hurt. She was hurt for him? What had I done to deserve this, God? "He's been nothing but nice to you."

I glared at her. "He's a boy," I said flatly.

She rolled her eyes. "I've noticed."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Rosalie asked in a panicked voice.

We both ignored her. I got to my feet, but so did Bella. Ten years of being around my anger had made her bolder. She could look into my coal black eyes without flinching away now.

"He's human, Bella," I reminded her. "What do you expect to achieve by being around him?"

She bit her lip, looking down for a minute. Then her head snapped back up, her eyes blazing. "I don't count on forever, okay? He's just a boy. A person. A boy-person," she was rambling, and we both knew it. I folded my arms across my chest, waiting for her to continue.

"I just…I thought I'd never see him again, Edward. Give me a break. So I got excited that he's here. Is that a crime?" she shot at me. Angry tears were already welling up behind her eyes.

I felt a stab of guilt for causing it, but I was too angry to calm down. Even Jasper couldn't do anything about it.

"Yes!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in the air. "It's as horrible as being attracted to a werewolf!"

Bella looked hurt at the tone of my voice. I had never really yelled at her before, not with so much anger in my voice. But the monster in me wasn't done yet. "He's a human, Bella. You're going to be immortal in two years. Less than two years. Then what? You're just setting yourself up to get hurt," I spat out.

She took a step forward. I blinked at her. Not even Emmett would have done that when I was this angry. "It is none of your business if I decide to be with Gabriel," she said, her low voice shaking with emotion. "How could you even say that? How could you even…" She shook her head. "I have two years left, yes. You're always saying how I need to have human experiences. Consider this one of them!"

Bella ran up the stairs at a faster speed than I had ever seen her go. Amazingly enough, she didn't trip on the stairs, though I heard her falling in her room.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Emmett was the first one to speak. "Yeah. Anger the woman you're supposed to woo, Edward. That's really the way to a woman's heart," he said dryly.

Rosalie stood up, a worried frown on her face. "I should…"

I shook my head. "No, I will," I said firmly. Rosalie turned to glare at me, accusing me. I deserved it, of course. I was the one who had blown my temper. "Please. I need to…Apologize."

She raised her eyebrow, clearly amused, and nodded her head. I ignored her thoughts, as well as the others, and ran up to Bella's room.

I knocked on the door, my heart wrenching as I heard her muffled cries from inside. "Go away!" she yelled.

"Bella?" I whispered. Clearing my throat, I called out her name a little louder. She repeated for me to leave her alone. "Please, Bella? I…I just want to talk."

She didn't answer me. I turned the doorknob, and found it wasn't locked. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. Bella was lying on her bed, on her stomach. Her head was under her pillow as she sobbed.

I bit my lip. I felt remorse charging through me. I had done that. I had upset her until she was sobbing.

I sat down next to her on the bed, and pulled the pillow gently from her grip. She merely grabbed another pillow and pulled it over her head. I smiled and did the same for the new pillow. Before she could take another one, I pulled her up to a sitting position and drew her to sit on my lap.

"I'm sorry," I whispered sincerely. She blinked her wet lashes at me, her pink eyes examining my face. "I didn't mean to yell. I just…" I sighed. I couldn't even tell her I loved her. "I was just concerned for you. I never wanted you to get hurt."

Bella smiled at me, and sniffed. "I know," she said. "But I'm growing up, Edward." I didn't actually needed a reminder of that.

"I won't ever be one of those girls who date a different boy every other Tuesday." Thank God. "But I like Gabriel. And I missed him. I've always wanted to go back to Paris to see him. He's a good person."

I ran my hand through her hair, hearing her heart flutter. Why couldn't she see? When I smiled at her, her heart thudded violently. When Gabriel smiled at her, her heart beat normally.

Wasn't it attraction, then, to me? Or was it fear? Or something else?

Maybe I had read the signs wrong.

Maybe Alice was wrong.

But that was unlikely. If there was one thing I'd learnt, never bet against Alice.

Bella rested her head in the crook of my neck, and wrapped her arms around my neck. _What do you feel when we touch like this, Bella? Do you feel the same as I do? Am I the reason why your heart is pounding so furiously? Am I the reason for that blush on your cheeks?_

I wanted to ask those questions out loud, but instead, I said, "You're not riding a bike, though. Rose will kill you. Esme will ground you. Carlisle will get you home schooled from now on."

Bella giggled, her lithe body shaking with laughter. I bent my head and pressed my nose to her strawberry scented hair. I breathed her in, closing my eyes at her wonderful scent.

She was silent for a moment, then she said, "Edward? When you said werewolves, I…"

I pulled back to look into her troubled brown eyes. "What is it, Bella?" I asked gently. I didn't have to remind her that she could tell me anything. She knew that already.

She bit her lip, looking down at her lap. "I love being a part of your family, Edward. Don't get me wrong. But Billy said he wanted me to live with them," she said. I stiffened. Was she thinking it over? Did she want to live with Billy Black? Did she want to stay human now? Did she want to have a lifetime with Gabriel?

"But why didn't he just take me when my parents died? Why did he wait all this time?"

I frowned. "I believe Billy Black was in an accident that rendered him paralyzed from the waist down. He was grief stricken. This was just after the funeral, and he wasn't paying much attention. The entire tribe was too preoccupied. They never saw a vampire adopting a human child. It was unthinkable, merely because of our bloodlust. Besides, not many of them were werewolves back then. Even Sam was human. They changed right after we came back to Forks," I told her.

Bella nodded her head, still silent, as she took it all in. I couldn't understand it. Was she regretting being a part of the family? Did she want to leave?

I tilted her head with my thumb and forefinger under her chin. "Bella?" I asked softly. "Is there a reason you asked? Did you…Reconsidered Billy's offer?"

Bella's eyes widened, and she shook her head violently. "No! No, of course not, Edward," she said quickly, her arms around my neck tightening. "I was just curious. From the way Billy talked about my dad…They seemed pretty close. I could remember visits and all, but not all that much. It just seemed strange that he wanted me to live with him now, when he did nothing back then."

I laughed, nodding in understanding. This was just one of her quirks. Wanting to know everything after she noted all the anomalies.

I kissed her forehead briefly, and she flushed a furious red.

Much more furiously than when Gabriel had kissed her cheek or held her hand. I felt my grip on Bella's waist tighten at the thought of Gabriel touching her. Thankfully, I wasn't hurting her.

"Don't worry, Bella. Nothing will tear us apart," I promised her. _Not even Gabriel._

I just had to be patient - however torturous that might be - and wait for the time when she realized I was the one for her. I hoped it would come soon, if at all.

Bella lifted her head and smiled at me, a blindingly dazzling smile that made me grin goofily. Her brown eyes drew me in with their depth and I heard my breath catch.

"Promise?" she whispered, her sweet breath caressing my face.

"Promise." She had absolutely nothing to be worried about. I would never let her go. I would never let her slip from my fingers.

I had to sacrifice some time, and not let my anger get in the way. Gabriel would make her happy for the time being. And he would lead her to the knowledge of her love for me.

I just had to wait, and be there for her. Nothing would keep me apart from her. I wasn't even strong enough to leave even if she asked me to.

_I love you._

______________________________________________________________________________

_Hey, guys. I know it seems like I'm always saying this but: I've got a new poll. LOL. Sorry, I just want to know your opinion._

_I want a human bad guy to come into the picture for a while. I have a seven-chapters arc for that, and it's going to be pretty intense. At least, in my opinion. I wanted to know if you'd prefer a human James for the bad guy or if you'd rather I choose a random new guy for it and keep James as a vampire? P.S. Victoria would still be a vampire, and she'd still be the scary red-head. She'll just come in later. And if James is the human bad guy, I will resurrect him as Victoria's mate when she comes into the picture._

_So which would you prefer? Human James the bad guy? Random human the bad guy? Please go to my profile page and vote for your choice. Thank you so much for that. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, and I'll answer._

_I hoped I wrote Gabriel's character well enough. I realized that he would notice the Cullens didn't exactly change, but it's only been about three years. Nothing significant would have changed in their looks, it's only the 'why-are-they-still-in-high-school' matter that needed to be cleared up._

_To Katie, 'smelt' and 'leant' are words. Jane Austen used the word 'learnt' in her works plenty of times. They are the transitive verbs of 'smell' and 'learn'. It's more common for 'learnt' and 'smelt' to be used in British English, and in S'pore (where I live), we tend to use more British English than American. It gets confusing because I sometimes mix the two up. I use Brit in school but I grew up American so…I'm sorry for the confusion._

_Some of you have asked about Billy and Jacob. I hoped I explained Billy well enough in this chapter. As for Jacob, he acted that way because firstly, Billy considered her the daughter of his best friend. Secondly, he despises vampires and would automatically want to protect the human girl he thinks they are harming. The fact that she's Bella and there's always an attraction for him didn't hurt, either. It would be natural for him to get all upset that Bella would turn into his enemy one day, even if they have seen each other for the first time in a decade. He wouldn't want the vampires to hurt the human, the way he sees it._

_Some also wondered why Bella would go out with a human since she knows it wouldn't last. Well, it's Gabriel. She left Paris before she and Gabriel could go out so their attraction is simply out there. Now that's he back, she can't get him out of head, obviously. But, as seen above, there is a certain someone who keeps drawing her back, as well. Sorry, that sounded like a lame-ass soap opera. Excuse me and continue reading. I hope this would get better in time._

_By the way, I have no idea if the whole repeating sophomore year thing is true. I had a friend who came from another country and she was held back a year so I just applied it here so it would flow better with the story._

_Thank you again, and please review._

_Juliet._


	33. First Date

_**A/N:**__ Hey, guys. Some of you wanted Edward to go out with someone or use a human or vamp girl to make Bella jealous. It sounded like a good idea, but it's just not the way Edward is. He didn't even really use Tanya back in Denali. Never flirted or went out with her. He just paid more attention to her and Bella's imagination did the rest. So, really, I couldn't write that. Besides, Edward made Bella jealous (unintentionally, I suppose) with Tanya, and now it's her turn with Gabriel. I'm sorry if I disappointed you._

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Rosalie, Carlisle, Jasper, Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

It had been two weeks since Gabriel had first showed up in Forks.

His bike had arrived the day after I gave him a lift home. It was a Ninja, a sports bike. It could go pretty fast. I'd wanted to try it, but Rosalie threatened to ground me if I did. Edward was right.

Gabriel was the sweetest thing. He brought me flowers the second day together in Forks. We hadn't gone on a first date yet, but that would probably just be awkward. I wanted to go out with him, though. I just wondered what was stopping him.

Maybe it was the murderous glares Edward, Emmett and Jasper gave him. Not flinching away from Edward's cold stare was one thing. Not flinching away when all three of them were looking at you like they would snap your neck in a second flat was pure suicide.

Whatever it was, it was driving me crazy. I liked Gabriel, and I was pretty sure he liked me, too. Unless I had read all the signs wrong. In which case -

I heard a familiar squeal that could only belong to Alice. I rolled my eyes, and continued to lay back on the pool lounge.

Esme had gotten the indoor pool in one of the extensions to the house. It wasn't dreary because she'd added a sun roof on the ceiling throughout the entire length of the room.

It was slightly disconcerting when I swam here with the others. They would all sparkle except me. Emmett would be quick to remind me that I'd sparkle soon enough.

I didn't think Edward appreciated that.

"Bella!" Alice came bursting into the room. I cracked an eye open and looked at her. She was bouncing around excitedly, a huge smile plastered on her face. "I have very exciting news…"

I shook my head. "I may not be able to tan, Alice, but I like the quiet time," I told her lazily. I had just had a very exhausting week.

Not only was Gabriel around, but my family were acting even more unusual than before. Emmett and Jasper kept retelling the embarrassing stories of my childhood whenever Gabriel was around, Rosalie kept giving Gabriel her patented 'I-will-hurt-you-bad' glare, Edward kept disappearing whenever Gabriel showed up and Alice was too busy saying 'aw' to do anything else.

Not only that, Lauren had made it her top priority to lure Gabriel away from me, Jessica had taken interest in Edward to a whole new level, Mike, Tyler and Eric were more insistent than ever and the girl crushing on Jasper, Monique Fisher, had taken to following him and Alice around all day.

I felt like I was in some twisted teenage drama.

"But, Bella," Alice whined. "I have very exciting news-"

I shook my head firmly. "I want quiet time, Alice. I never get that anymore," I said with a sigh.

Alice crossed her arms across her chest. "That's not true," she countered. "It's quiet all the time in there."

Just in time to contradict her, a crash was heard from inside the house. Emmett and Jasper were yelling about some bet they'd made. Esme was yelling about the damage they had caused.

I raised an eyebrow at Alice, who laughed. "Okay, okay," she relented. "But you'll really want to know…"

"Quiet time!"

She tapped her foot impatiently for several seconds, before walking away at a slow, deliberate pace. "Okay…" she sang out. "If you don't want to find out about Gabriel-"

I promptly fell off my lounger and straight into the pool. I resurfaced, shaking my wet hair from my face and spluttering.

"Gabriel?" I squeaked. "What about Gabriel?"

Alice ran back to me at vampire speed, and lifted me out of the pool. She set me on the ground in front of her. She looked amused by my reaction to Gabriel's name. I scowled at her.

Alice giggled and took in a deep, unnecessary breath. "I had a vision," she paused dramatically. I was too suspenseful to actually roll my eyes at her. "That Gabriel's going to ask you out on Monday!"

She'd said all of this in one breath, but I caught it all. Living with an overeager vampire for ten years made me adapt.

I stared at her in shock. A smile slowly made its way across my face. "Really?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Would I lie to you?"

I gave her an odd look. She had lied to me. Plenty of times before. Mostly, she'd lied to me about shopping…How long we would take, where we were going, how much everything cost. But yes, she had lied to me and no doubt she would in the future.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at me. "Well, not about this!" Alice started jumping around again. "This is going to be so much fun!" she squealed.

I was getting almost as excited as she was. "This is great!" I said happily. "I can't wait to tell…" I frowned. I was going to tell Angela. But I couldn't, because Gabriel hadn't asked me yet. I couldn't just say that I knew because my psychic sister saw it in the future, could I?

"No one," I said, sulking. "I can't tell anyone because he hasn't even asked me yet."

Alice wrapped her arms around my shoulder as she led me towards the door. "That's why you have Rose and I," she reminded me.

I made a face at her. "My mother and my sister?" I said, paling. "I don't think so."

"Why not!?" Alice was frowning. "We'll be incredibly-"

I literally walked into a wall…Or, more specifically, Edward. He caught me before I could hurt myself. Again.

He held me at arm's length for a moment, before his arms dropped back to his side. "Uh," he shifted his gaze to the floor. I raised an eyebrow at him, confused as to why he was acting so strange. "R-Rose wanted me to find you…She said you need food," he mumbled, then shot out of the room.

I shared a look with Alice, but she was giggling. "What…Was that all about?" I asked blankly.

Alice gestured up and down my body and I looked down. I blushed immediately. I was wearing a bikini top and a pair of boy shorts. Both of which were soaked from my little accident earlier.

"Oh."

Alice dragged me back into the house and had me in her bathroom, showering and changing, before I could even blink.

When she was done with me, she took me back to the kitchen where Rosalie was fixing me lunch. Esme was out hunting with Carlisle, so Rose was automatically in charge of feeding me. Not that I couldn't make my own lunch, but they insisted on taking care of me.

"So…Gabriel's asking you out?" Rose asked, placing the turkey sandwich in front of me. She placed both hands on the table and raised her eyebrow at me.

I blushed. "I don't know. Gabe hasn't asked me yet," I mumbled as I bit into the sandwich. I'd really rather not have this discussion with my own mother. It was too humiliating.

"Who's asking you out?" Emmett boomed, storming into the room, flanked by both Jasper and Edward.

I groaned, shaking my head. This was not happening.

"Gabriel," Alice answered Emmett's question.

I opened my eyes to shoot them all withering looks, but my eyes caught Edward's. His topaz eyes, so beautifully soulful, seemed to be filled with pain. I held his gaze, confused as to his reaction.

As quickly as it had happened, his eyes dropped. His face pulled into the composed mask I'd seen him wear around people. But he never did that with me. He was always honest with me. We could always talk to one another, no matter what.

When his eyes met mine again, the pain was gone. Or had I imagined that?

He smiled a little at me, but it never reached his eyes. It wasn't the dazzling smile I was so used to seeing on him. "If you will excuse me," he said pleasantly. "I have certain matters to attend to."

I frowned. Certain matters to attend to? He was definitely hiding something. From me. Why? What was it?

In the blink of an eye, he was gone. I stared at the empty spot that used to be where he stood, unable to look away.

Why did I want him back here? It wasn't because I wanted him to hear about Gabe. I'd stop talking about Gabe if it would make him happy.

Why did I feel such…Longing for him?

I caught myself, shaking my head. Longing? Was I crazy? Edward was my best friend. _Nothing else!_ I screamed to myself. How many times did I have to remind myself of that?

"Bella!"

I jumped, startled. I turned to face four very amused vampires. I blushed, picking at my sandwich. "Yes?" I asked innocently.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Did you even hear anything we'd said?"

I wanted to tell her yes, just so she wouldn't nag at me. But I couldn't. Alice could spot a lie a mile away. Of course, it didn't help that I was a terrible liar. "Um…No," I admitted sheepishly.

She glared at me. "You do realize tomorrow's a very important day," she reminded me, hands on her hips. "We have to make you impeccable-"

"-Right after we scare the crap out of Gabriel, of course," Emmett interrupted.

I felt too strange from my conflicting emotions to actually pay attention to their banter. I sighed, standing up. "I have homework to finish," I muttered, knowing they could hear me.

I walked out to the living room, pausing at the grand piano. My music lessons with Edward now consisted of piano and guitar, and I loved it. Edward was truly an amazing musician.

I pressed one hand over my eyes and focused on breathing in evenly. Couldn't I, just for one lousy minute, not think of Edward or connect him to anything and everything?

This was too confusing, and too exhausting.

I reached my room, grabbed my guitar and flopped down on the bed. Just holding the guitar made me feel like Edward was near me.

I felt my eyelids droop as sleep overtook me, memories of Edward and I playing in my mind like a movie.

My lips pulled up into a contented smile as I allowed myself to drown in our memories.

******************************************************************************

_Carlisle's POV_

I'd come home from hunting to find the house in disarray. That was nothing new, of course, but this time it was different somehow.

Esme looked around at our squabbling children and gave me a knowing look. "I told you we shouldn't have stayed longer, Carlisle," she said, then smiled as she remembered what exactly we were doing when we stayed longer.

I placed my free hand over my heart. "Did you not enjoy it?" I faked being hurt.

Esme laughed, leaning forward and pecking my lips quickly. "You know I did," she whispered. She squeezed my hand one last time and walked forward to yell at our children.

I sighed, taking a seat at my usual arm chair and waiting for someone to explain. "Well?" I prompted. "Is someone going to say anything?"

Alice was the one to crack. As usual. "Bella's going on a date!"

If I could have choked, I would have. My eyes widened and Esme stopped patting Emmett down in an attempt to straighten him out. We both stared at her incredulously.

She mistook our silence for exuberance and continued. "He's going to ask her after school…For some reason, I can't see her decision. She hasn't made one yet. God only knows why-"

"Alice, dear," Esme interrupted. "Gabriel is going to ask Bella out for a date?" Alice nodded excitedly. "And does your dear brother know about it?"

She nodded again. I exchanged a look with my wife, worried. Alice sighed and waved away our concern. "It has to happen. It's how Bella realizes she loves Edward," she said determinedly.

I frowned at her. "Isn't it wrong to use the human boy?" I asked, scratching my chin as I contemplated.

Alice shrugged. "Not technically," she said in a sing-song voice. "Bella likes him enough. So it's mutual attraction. She just doesn't love him. 'cuz, you know, Edward and all."

I was still worried. Not only would this hurt Edward, it would also be impetuous. My daughter with a human boy?

I didn't want to seem uncouth, but my daughter wouldn't be human in less than two years. It would be wrong to allow her to start a relationship with a human now. It would break her heart, too, if it were to get serious.

She would have to leave him right before her change. As I had mentioned to the werewolves, her change was really inevitable. We had to make it by the deadline, as well. There really was no avoiding it.

I sighed deeply and stood up. "Esme, would you care to join me?" I asked, putting out my hand for her to take. "I think it's time we have a talk with our daughter."

She nodded, a determined look in her eyes, and took my hand. Alice called out to us not to change her mind on saying yes to Gabriel. I ignored that.

Esme knocked on Bella's bedroom door, and she answered immediately. Her face fell when she noticed that it was us. "Well, don't look too happy, my dearest," I chuckled.

Bella smiled sheepishly at me, and opened the door wider for us to enter. "Sorry. I just thought… Edward's been gone for a while. I thought it was him," she admitted softly, sitting down on her bed and looking at her hands on her lap.

Ah. So that was what's been bothering her. It might even be the cause of the indecision Alice was talking about on Bella's part.

Esme sat next to Bella and took one of her hand in hers. "Alice told us about Gabriel," she said softly.

Bella looked up at us and cringed. "You're going to tell me to say no, aren't you?" she asked sadly.

I exchanged a look with Esme. "What led you to that conclusion?" I asked warily.

She shrugged. "I've got very little time left as a human. A relationship with a human is obviously the last thing that should happen now," she said matter-of-factly.

I cracked a small grin. "Very perceptive of you," I commented. Bella's gaze dropped to the floor. I sighed, and sat on her other side. "But no, we're not going to tell you to say no."

Bella's head snapped up and she stared open-mouthed at me. "You're not?"

"We're not?" Esme asked blankly. I gave her an amused look and she collected herself. "I mean, we're not," she amended.

I chuckled, and ran my hand through Bella's hair. "I just want you to be happy, my child," I told her lovingly. "And if Gabriel makes you happy, I'll allow it.

"But not too happy," Esme added quickly.

Bella blushed, rolling her eyes. "Mom!"

Esme shook her head. "If you're going to start dating, you have to hear this-"

"I already had the birds and the bees talk, mom. Emmett scarred me for life, remember?" she grimaced, a shudder running through her body as she remembered that particular incident.

I laughed, and she threw me a glare. "Yes, sweetheart. But I think your mother meant that we have to talk about rules…"

I heard Esme muttering something about a second birds and the bees talk, and decided to ignore that. Bella wouldn't be very happy with us if we made her relive that talk. It was excruciating even for me when I learned of what Emmett had done all those years ago.

I took in a deep breath and started. "You'll have to tell us before you and Gabriel go out, tell us where and by what time you'll be home-"

"-By ten, no later than that," Esme cut in firmly.

"Eleven thirty," Bella bargained.

"Ten thirty. Take it or leave it."

"Deal," the two shook hands.

I cleared my throat, glaring at the two of them. They fell silent, waiting for me to continue. "You will have Gabriel come inside for this first date of yours, and he will have to talk to us for a few minutes. Paris was a long time ago. I haven't even seen the boy since he's been here. Is that understood?"

Bella nodded her head, then launched herself at me. "Thanks, dad," she mumbled against my neck. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Go to sleep, angel," I kissed her forehead. "You probably won't want to miss school tomorrow?" That came out as a question. I really didn't want her to be asked out by a boy, or for her to accept. She was just growing up too quickly for my liking.

Bella laughed. "No, I don't," she said firmly. She leaned forward, kissed my cheek and let go. She did the same with Esme.

I took Esme's hand in mine again as we went out of Bella's room. We passed Edward in the hallway, and he smiled at us sadly. "I guess she's going to say yes," he said softly.

I patted him on the back. "Remember, son. It's her way of realizing it's you she wants," I said. Edward really needed the constant reminder. He wasn't too confident when it came to Bella. I didn't want him to drown in sorrow and avoid her again, or leave.

He sighed, nodding his head. "I know. I just wished time would skip ahead to when she already realized it."

We parted ways. Edward went to his room, and I heard the music playing inside. I carried on to my room with Esme, and smiled at her.

She was more optimistic than I was, as she wrapped her arms around my waist. "Don't worry, love," she whispered. "It would all be alright soon."

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

Edward had been antsy the whole day. He had glared at everyone who came near him, snarled at me for attempting to talk to him, and sulked his way through classes. Lunch was even worse.

Now it was the end of school day. I was waiting in Edward's car with Alice. I'd desperately wanted to drive home with Rosalie and Emmett in her M3, but Alice won't let me. I couldn't see why. Both of the cars were here, as we waited for Bella to come out of the school building.

And there she was, holding hands with Gabriel as they walked towards the parking lot. I saw his motorcycle parked a few spaces away.

I shot a look at Alice, and she nodded her head, an excited smile on her lips as we watched. This was it. Gabriel was going to ask her out.

They stopped walking a few yards away from the car, but he shouldn't have bothered. We could still hear him as clearly as if he'd talked to her right next to us.

"Bella," Gabriel begun, biting his lip as he looked down at their entwined fingers. I felt the shot of jealousy surging through Edward triple in intensity. I tried giving him calming waves but he rejected it.

Gabriel was trying to be confident, but he was afraid Bella would say no. He took in a deep breath and looked up at her. "I wanted to ask you if you would care to go out with me. On a date," he said slowly. Then he blushed bright red and looked away. "You don't have to say yes, of course. I just thought…"

Bella laughed slightly. She brushed her lips against his cheek and nodded her head. "I would love to go on a date with you, Gabriel," she smiled.

I supposed if Alice hadn't told her about this yesterday, she would be as nervous as Gabriel was. Gabriel and Bella talked for a little bit more - when their date would be, and if he should pick her up at the house. She warned him about her parents wanting him to come inside and he took it calmly.

Finally, they parted ways. Bella climbed inside the Volvo, sitting in the passenger seat. Edward tore out of the parking lot the moment she had closed the door. "God, Edward!" Bella said, fear exploding in her as she clutched at her seat. "Some of us need seatbelts, you know."

With one hand, he reached over and fastened it for her wordlessly. His hand was back on the wheel before she could blink.

She just stared at him, her brows furrowing. "Edward?" she asked, her voice soft. He didn't answer. "Edward, are you alright?"

He sighed, then gave her a small smile. "Yes. Don't worry, Bella. I just have a lot on my mind," he lied. Bella didn't believe him one bit, I could feel it. She let it go, though, sensing that he didn't want to talk about it.

After a while, Alice asked Bella how the whole Gabriel-asking-her-out episode had been. Bella blushed and shrugged. She didn't answer and stared silently out her window. I noticed that she felt a flash of guilt and sorrow as she glanced at Edward every now and then.

Did she already realize his feelings for her? Did she realize her feelings for him? No, it couldn't be. She felt confused after longing after Edward in the kitchen yesterday.

We reached home faster than Rosalie and Emmett, simply because Edward was speeding. He was out of the car before any of us. Bella stared after him, not moving a single muscle.

Alice reached over to the front to look at her. "Are we going in or not?" she asked, impatient. "We need to find you the perfect dress for the date, you know."

Bella snapped out of it and rolled her eyes at Alice. "We're not going out tonight, Alice, there's still time," she said distractedly.

She undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the car. Alice settled next to me and closed her eyes. "And…They'll talk in his room in fifteen seconds," she predicted. She opened her eyes and smiled up at me. "What do you say you and I take Edward's car somewhere and christen the backseat?"

I laughed, drawing her close to me. "Again?" I raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "Just don't tell Edward," she whispered, leaning in to kiss me.

******************************************************************************

Alice kicked me out of our room, saying that Bella and Rosalie would be needing it in a few minutes. I knew better than to argue with my wife when she had a task like this at hand.

I passed Bella in the hallway. She was wearing her bathrobe, which meant that it was Bella Barbie time. I smiled at her. "Excited for your date?" I winked.

Bella blushed a deep crimson. I laughed at her reaction. Bella scowled at me. "Shut up, Jasper," she joked.

Rosalie dashed out of her room, grabbed Bella and dragged her all the way to my room. I shook my head. The women in this house could be truly crazy sometimes.

I went down to the living room. Esme and Carlisle were already seated on the armchair, wearing their best presentable clothes. Edward was sitting next to Emmett, his video controller on the floor. Emmett was pretty much playing the game on his own.

When he saw me, Emmett sighed in relief. "Thank God. Will you please push the prude aside and play? He's not even trying," Emmett complained.

I smirked. "Wouldn't it be better for you that way? At least you're winning," I teased.

Emmett scowled at me. "I don't need anyone to let me win. I'm the master at this!" he boasted. Of course. The master who had been beaten by me eight times in a row.

Edward didn't even laugh as he heard my thoughts. "Edward, you alright?" I asked, sitting next to Emmett and taking a video controller of my own.

He started to pace the room. "What if he tries something?" he muttered. "What if he brings her someplace secluded to kill her or-or…Worse? What if-"

Emmett threw a pillow at him. It had no effect on him whatsoever except make him glare at Emmett. "Dude, relax," he said to Edward. "You're just wearing yourself out."

"A physical impossibility," Edward murmured before going back to pacing.

"Well, it's an emotional probability," I snapped back. "You're driving me crazy, Edward. Just sit down."

Esme looked over at Edward in concern. "Son, you don't have to be here, you know?" she said gently.

Edward shook his head. "No. No, I should be here," he said resolutely. And he went right back to pacing.

I tried blocking out his emotions, but they were too strong. The funny thing was, he felt almost the same way Bella was.

She was excited to go with Gabriel, of course, and that was something Edward didn't share.

But they were both anxious. They were both wary. They were both longing each other's company. And they were both filled with sadness.

I knew it wouldn't be long before Edward and Bella finally got together. I didn't even need Alice's gift, or mine, for that matter. It was too obvious, even Emmett caught on to it.

We all had mixed reactions to it, of course. We'd all known it would happen at some point. Alice had predicted it a long time ago.

Carlisle and Esme only wanted everything to turn out fine.

Rosalie was trying to make sure Bella didn't get hurt, and she was also sad that her time with little Bella was almost up. She was afraid Bella wouldn't need her anymore after Edward and her change.

Emmett and Alice were excited.

I was more anxious to see it all work out more than anything. I wanted them to get together because their emotions were going haywire all the time, so it drove me crazy.

Bella deserved a wonderful life, too, if you asked me. And if that included Edward, then fine. I knew he would treat her right. She meant too much to him.

Even now, if she asked him to streak across campus naked or start walking on his hands for a whole day, he'd do it if it made her happy…Then he'd buy her diamonds, of course, but that's just Cullen style for you.

But I couldn't help but wonder what would happen once they were together. We were all so focused on _getting _them together (Alice going overboard, as usual) that I don't think we thought about _after_.

Would Emmett crack jokes about Edward being Mr. Prude like he has since they'd met? If he made fun of Edward's nonexistent sexual life, he'd be encouraging Edward to have sex with our baby sister.

Would Rosalie jump at Edward's throat every time he would kiss Bella? What about when he would ask her to marry him? Edward's that sort of guy. Bella would be his mate. I knew he would ask her, it was only a matter of time.

Alice would be indifferent, for the most part. She had seen the visions first hand. She had had plenty of time to get used to it, not just by talking about it but by seeing it in the future. She would just be excited for Edward and Bella.

Carlisle and Esme? Would they allow Edward to be in Bella's room? We knew he still did that, even if Bella didn't know.

We knew he loved to hear her sleep talk…I had to admit, after staying close by to hear it for ourselves, Emmett and I knew why he did. Bella was hilarious when she talks in her sleep. Not to mention she had no inhibitions when she was unconscious. It was Edward's way of getting into her head for a few minutes.

Of course, we were all happy because we knew how happy it would make both Edward and Bella to finally admit their love to one another and accept it wholly.

"Jasper," Edward growled. "Do you mind not thinking of Bella and I right now? It's horrible enough that I have to see her go on a date with someone else…I can't think of the future just yet. I might just strangle _Gabriel _when he gets here," he shook his head, pressing his fingers to his temple.

I grinned sheepishly at me. "Sorry, man. You know, you could always stay out of my head, you know?"

I ducked as a ceramic vase came my way.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

Alice and I worked on Bella's hair and her make-up. Alice had a vision that Gabriel wanted to take Bella to an French restaurant his family friend owned. It was in Port Angeles.

We were going to dress her in a little black dress. Well…Not so little, per se. I wouldn't let her walk out of the house if it were.

I felt so conflicted. On one hand, I was happy that Bella was going on her first date. Excited, even. On the other, I wanted her to cancel, stay home and watch Finding Nemo.

Then there's the whole Edward deal.

Even I thought using Gabriel was harsh, but Alice said we weren't using him. Bella really did liked him. She had to 'get it out of her system' before she and Edward could get together.

Get together. With a vampire.

Could this get any worse?

I knew that she was going to be one of us, too, but…A mate? I couldn't think of my baby girl like that. Edward might be Captain Prude now, but if he and Bella get together, if he gets a mate… Who knew if he would start abandoning his natural prudishness and just go for it.

And the horrible part? I couldn't stop it.

It would be their decision. They were going to be mates. Once they were, if they wanted to hold hands, kiss, or…Have sex. That was all their choices. I would have no say in it whatsoever.

I might be her mother, but that was all. They were going to be lovers. He would be the most important part of her life.

Already, he couldn't live without her and vice versa. Even Bella could see that and she was still confused about her feelings.

I sighed, finishing the last of her hair. We had decided to let it flow down her back in cascading waves. Alice, too, was putting on the last touches of her make-up.

We handed Bella the black dress. It was a spaghetti strap dress that ended just above her knees. Alice had insisted on it. I wasn't too sure because of the plunging neckline. It looked decent enough on Bella, I noted with relief.

Alice and I went downstairs while Bella went back to her room. Alice had asked her to wait a few minutes when Gabriel arrived. That way, Carlisle could have the 'introduction' he wanted, and Bella wouldn't be all that embarrassed.

I knew Alice also wanted Bella to make an entrance, but I didn't mention it to Bella. She would only get nervous and trip down the stairs. If she wouldn't already do that in the first place…

Hmm. Maybe we should get her to wait in the kitchen.

I looked around the room. Carlisle and Esme were seated on the armchair. Emmett and Jasper were fidgeting because they couldn't play video games until after Gabriel was gone, and Edward was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he didn't want to see his future mate - I wanted to die just saying that - going out with another person.

I heard his voice coming faintly from upstairs and bit my lip in understanding. He was saying goodbye to Bella for the night. He was letting her go, accepting the idea of her needing the time wholly.

For the first time in a very long time, I empathized with Edward.

The doorbell rang, and pretty much every one of us jumped to our feet. Esme hushed us, trying to get us to calm down. It worked only because of Jasper.

Carlisle, fists clenching and unclenching at his side, went to answer the door. "Hello," I heard him said. "Welcome to our home."

Gabriel walked in, a huge smile on his face. I felt like jumping in front of him and slapping the smile off. What was the grin for? Did he think he was going to get some with my daughter? Did he-

"Rosalie," Jasper hissed. "Would you calm down!?"

I took in shallow breaths through clenched teeth and forced a smile onto my face. This was fine. My baby was just growing up. I could handle this. Consider this a test run for when Bella and Edward get together…

Another downside I just thought of! They would be in the house! I would hear them _doing _things, saying things to one another…Oh, God. Was it possible for vampires to get sick?

Gabriel had a huge bouquet of red roses for Bella in his hands. When all we did was stare at him, Alice danced forward and took the flowers from him. "I'll…Put that in a vase!" she offered with a bright smile.

I could still hear Bella and Edward talking upstairs. What the hell was taking them so long?

Then I remembered that Carlisle wanted to talk to Gabriel, make sure he was a good kid.

As if on cue, Carlisle clapped Gabriel on the back and gestured to the couch. "Have a seat, son," he said, flashing Gabriel a smile that would show off his impressive teeth.

Even from here, I could see Gabriel shivering.

I smiled to myself and clasped Emmett's hand in mine, sitting on his lap.

Good.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I couldn't stand waiting around the living room any longer. Jasper couldn't stand having me there, either.

I went up to my room and sat on the edge of my bed, cradling my head in my hands. I truly thought I was going crazy.

Up here, I could hear Bella and the girls more clearly. It pained me that she was so excited about going on this date, but I knew it had to happen.

What was a few days - weeks, maybe. Please, God, don't let it be months - of pain compared to an eternity of pleasure?

I would be with Bella very soon. I wanted it to happen, and I was so close to when it would happen.

I didn't want to rush her, because Alice said it would be bad if I did. I, too, knew that Bella would go into denial if she didn't come to the conclusion on her own. _I _did for a whole sixteen months.

But that didn't mean that I couldn't help feeling like rushing up to her, scooping her into my arms and kissing her senseless.

That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. Bella would scream and kick until I was safely a hundred yards from her. Emmett would tackle me to the ground while Rosalie would tear my head off and burn it.

I just had to wait it out and see.

Alice's thoughts called out to me, and I listened to her from next door.

_Edward, she's all conflicted because of this. I think she's starting to feel bad or something about going out with him. She saw your reaction. She didn't know what it meant or she's suppressing it or whatever. You have to talk to Jazzy about that. All I know is that she saw you didn't like that you were going on a date. I keep having visions of her canceling, Talk to her when she's in her room, will you?_

Despite Alice's dislike, I felt elated. If she wanted to cancel, then so be it. I'd hand her the phone myself. What could be better than if Bella didn't go out with Gabriel?

She actually liked him, though. I knew she had wanted to date him since Paris. It might not be a strong affection, but she still wanted it. I didn't know what to call her feelings for him, but it was there.

And if she was going to cancel simply because she felt bad that I was upset…That certainly wouldn't be how things should go, was it?

I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut. I think I was in hell.

I heard Alice told Bella to stay in her room for a few minutes while Carlisle questioned Gabriel. He had wanted to have the 'protective-father-to-boyfriend' talk with Gabriel.

I winced at the word 'boyfriend'.

_Talk to her, Edward. I know you hate this, but remember what I said about her eventually finding out about you? You have to let her. You know that if you're upset, she would be too._

Yes. I did know that. I felt the same way.

Maybe there was a truth to Jasper's theory that Bella and I were soul mates.

I inhaled and exhaled once more, just to calm myself, and went out of the door. I went next door to Bella's room and found her sitting at her vanity. Her jewelry box was opened. She kept putting on and taking off the charm I had gotten for her all those years ago.

Finally, she took it off, placed it in the jewelry box and groaned. "Hello, Gabriel? I'm sorry to call you two minutes before you're supposed to show up, but I can't make it. I'd just been struck by lightning…Yes, God was smiting me. Don't ask me, ask Him," she muttered to herself.

I laughed loudly, causing her to jump and look up. She blushed when she saw me leaning against her door frame.

"Edward," she gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"

I grinned at her, strolling into the room. "Long enough to know God had apparently sent an order to smite you," I teased.

Bella blushed a deeper shade of crimson. I sighed. How much I wanted to touch her cheek and feel the heat of her blush.

I sat down on her bed, my eyes never leaving her. "Alice said you wanted to cancel," I said nonchalantly.

She bit her lip and looked away. She didn't want to talk about it because it was uncomfortable. She didn't want to make it a big deal. I smiled. "You don't have to do that, you know," I said softly.

Bella stood up to walk over to me. It was the first time I'd gotten a look at her tonight. I gasped and she looked down, worried. "What? Did I forget something? Is something on my dress?"

I shook my head, swallowing a few times before I could speak. "No…No, Bella, you just look absolutely stunning," I murmured, assuring her. "You look beautiful."

She looked shyly at the floor, though I could see the red flush spreading through her cheeks. I could hear the loud hammering of her heart as it sped up at my words.

I smiled and held out my hand. She took it, letting me lead her to the bed. I sat her down next to me, and ran my finger down her cheek. Her wide, brown eyes looked up at me curiously. Her breathing sped up, her eyes glazed over.

I frowned. Why was she acting like that? Was she alright?

I retracted my hand from her cheek and held her hand in mine instead. "You'll have a great time tonight," I said, the words acid in my mouth. "Gabriel seems like a nice boy."

Bella raised her eyebrow at me. "Are you sure you're Edward?" she asked teasingly. "What happened to the vampire who growled at the mere mention of Gabe's name?"

I shrugged, willing the pain in my heart to ebb away. It didn't work. "I only want you happy," I told her quietly. "If this was what made you happy, then who am I to take it from you?"

Before I knew it, Bella had her arms wrapped around my neck, her lips pressed to the side of my throat and she hugged me tight.

I reciprocated, crushing her gently to me without actually hurting her. I buried my face in her hair and breathed in her heavenly scent. My chest was heaving. I felt like sobbing, and telling her not to go.

Of course, the thought of Emmett teasing me for the rest of eternity at being such a baby kept me from doing so.

Still, I held her tight. I never wanted to let her go.

But I had to. For her, for me, for us. The sooner she sorted out her feelings, the sooner she and I would be together.

I pulled back from her embrace slightly, keeping her pressed to my chest. I bent slightly and pressed my lips to her forehead. I leaned further down and kissed the tip of her nose. Bella's eyes widened and a pleasant flush colored her cheeks.

I smiled gently at her and brushed my thumb just under her lower lip. Bella's heart thudded violently against her chest. Since we were still hugging, I could not only hear it, but I could also feel it.

I heard Carlisle interrogating Gabriel downstairs, and smiled at her. "You should go. Gabriel's waiting," I told her.

Bella hugged me again, and I felt her breathing me in. I chuckled. She had always found my scent to be soothing to her. Even as a little child.

I knew that our scents were meant to lure humans, but soothing them? Well, Bella wasn't very typical, so when I found out her reason, it didn't surprise me all that much at how different her answer was.

I stood up, Bella at my side. I led her out of the room, and down the stairs. I mostly didn't want her to trip. Knowing Bella, it was entirely probable.

Everyone in the living room stood up as we approached.

"Hi, Gabriel," Bella smiled at him.

He came forward and kissed her cheek. Bella blushed lightly, but her heart kept its normal rhythm. I kept my eyes fixed on her. Couldn't she feel the difference?

_Patience, Edward, patience_, I scolded myself.

_Is something going on? _Gabriel's thoughts poked through. _It couldn't be. They're in the same house…Then again, the rest of the family are coupled with one another…_

It was then that I realized that Bella and I were still holding hands. Her thumb was rubbing small circles on my skin. It had felt so natural that neither one of us had noticed.

I gently pried my hand away from her. When Bella realized that we had been holding hands the whole way, she blushed furiously.

Gabriel took her hand and smiled. "Shall we go?" he asked her politely.

Bella smiled and followed him to the door. Carlisle and Esme followed. Esme hugged Bella and said, "Have fun, kids."

"But not too much fun," Carlisle was muttering.

"Carlisle!" Esme gasped, shocked, at the same time Bella yelled "Dad!"

I chuckled to myself. Less than a minute and they had already embarrassed Bella. Carlisle didn't sound abashed from his mind. He meant what he said. "Have her back by ten thirty," he said, his smooth voice businesslike.

Gabriel noted Carlisle as the authority figure, and nodded. From his mind, I saw that he planned on keeping his word.

As the door closed, I heard Bella saying "Sorry about that. My family's a little…"

"Protective?" Gabriel guessed.

Bella's beautiful laughter filled my ears and I smiled despite the situation. "That's one way of looking at it," she giggled.

I heard them leave. He had borrowed his brother's Audi for tonight, since it wasn't entirely appropriate to bring his bike on a date.

As soon as the sound of his Audi was no longer audible, I started to pace again. Carlisle and Esme had gone upstairs, and Rosalie and Alice were huddled in front of the computer to shop online.

"Jasper, Emmett, would you mind going for a quick hunt with me?" I asked loudly, making sure the girls heard me.

Alice shot me a look. I was keeping my future undecided so that she wouldn't be able to tell what I was up to.

I knew I'd said I would let her go so she could sort out her feelings, but I just couldn't let her spend time alone with a boy. A _human _boy. They were filled with vile thoughts!

No matter how sincere Gabriel was, he was a man deep down. I couldn't just let those two…

I couldn't even finished my thought.

Thank God Emmett and Jasper agreed, so we hurried out of the house.

Once we were deep enough in the forest to not be overheard, I turned to them. Emmett looked confused, "Why are we stopping? I thought we were going hunting?"

I grinned, shrugging. "We are. Just…Not for food," I said vaguely.

Emmett and Jasper exchanged confused looks. "I want to follow Bella on her date," I stated simply.

Jasper looked amused while Emmett looked excited. "We get to come?" he asked exuberantly.

"You do," I nodded my head. "But Jasper needs to go home."

Jasper looked puzzled and a little offended. "He gets to go and I don't?" he asked, baffled.

"I'm just a better tracker than you," Emmett boasted. I rolled my eyes.

Jasper looked even more offended than before. "No, you're not," Jasper said through clenched teeth. "I'm a military man, for God's sake! I do it better than you."

Emmett snorted. "No, you don't," he said smugly.

I shuddered at the direction his thoughts were going. "Emmett!" I hissed. "Would you not think of…_You know_? For once?"

Jasper turned, eyes blazing. "You think you're better at sex than me?" he asked angrily.

"I don't think, bro-"

"Clearly," I muttered.

"-I _know_."

"Do you want to lay it out on the table and measure!?" Jasper demanded, hands flying to his hips as he growled at Emmett.

"Bring it!"

I whistled to get their attention. "Emmett! Jasper!" I growled. "Now isn't the time! Jasper, I need you to go home and distract Alice. Do whatever you need to do, including…" I gulped and made a face. I really would rather not talk about my brother and sister that way.

Emmett saw my awkwardness and said it for me. "Have wild raunchy sex," he cut in.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Just keep her preoccupied, alright? I don't want her seeing this in one of her visions," I said, exasperated by their behavior.

Jasper thought for a moment. "So I get to go home and just have sex with my wife?" he asked slowly. I nodded my head. "Then why am I still here?"

He grinned at us and dashed home.

I turned to Emmett. "Are you up to be stealthy?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Emmett chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Stealthy is my middle name," he said proudly.

I rolled my eyes. Emmett has had several middle names over the years appointed to him himself. Cleverly, I didn't comment.

Instead, I smiled cunningly and said, "Here's what we do…"

______________________________________________________________________________

_There was Bella's first date part 1. Sorry it couldn't be with Edward…Wouldn't have fit into the storyline. Next one will be what Emmett and Edward do while they stalk Bella and Gabriel on their date._

_P.S. Some of you asked about the Gettysburg Address reference. Yes, it was a lame joke, but I just found it ironic nonetheless. It's a nonsensical joke on my part. I knew it was known for how short it was, I just found it funny compared to the scenario at the time. I don't know why…Maybe I am crazy. LOL._

_Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a great time with your family. I'll still be updating, even on Christmas 'cuz like I said, I don't actually celebrate Christmas. I don't think anyone would be reading on Dec. 25, though. LOL. Looking forward to reading your reviews of my chapters._

_Thank you so much for reading this, voting and reviewing. I am also looking forward to reading your wonderful reviews, so don't let me down? Thank you!_

_Juliet._


	34. A Little Too Far

_**A/N:**__ Merry Christmas everyone. So I heard that some of you will be reading this on the day itself. LOL. Lovely. I hope this is at least half as good as you imagined it to be._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all_

_**POVs: **__Emmett, Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Emmett's POV_

I just had to say - I love this new side of our Eddie. Who knew jealous and manipulative would work out in his favor?

He'd just sent Jasper back home to Alice to fornicate (his word, not mine), and now we were trailing Bella and Gabriel.

We didn't use any cars since it would be too obvious. Even without the loud sounds since Rose fixed all our engines, Bella would recognize a Cullen car a hundred miles away.

I'd wanted to buy a Viper for this mission, but Edward said we didn't have time. So there we were, running around behind them on our feet. It wasn't all that bad.

I had to admit, for a kid, Gabriel had the night planned out pretty good.

First he got this amazing car. It was his brother's, but it was still wicked amazing. An Audi R8. It took everything in me not to jump the guy and steal the car myself…I think I'd order one for myself online when I get home.

Edward almost had a heart attack that Gabriel had brought Bella to his house. Worrywart. He was probably worried something horrible would happen to her. As if. His older brother was in there. Apparently, French brothers were amazing cooks.

Besides, I taught her a great right hook years ago.

"You did _what_!?" Edward growled beside me. I chuckled. Oh, yeah. Eddie could read minds. Forgot about that one.

Anyway, like I was saying, Gabriel brought Bella to his house, which was a nice little European-looking place at the edge of town. It really wasn't all that far from where we lived.

He was pretty gentlemanly, you know? He did all the things a guy would do to score with a girl…Maybe that was his motif. I didn't know, I couldn't read minds.

Judging from Edward's reactions, though, Gabriel didn't have a single sick thought in his mind.

I saw the way he looked at Bella. Did you really think that I would have allowed him to step within a hundred miles of my baby sister if he even thought of her in that way.

I knew Edward would have pummeled him.

He opened her car door for her, offered her his arm, said 'ladies first' so Bella would enter the house first, and pulled out her chair for her.

I wouldn't know for sure, but he would probably be what a human Edward was like. I mean, Edward was still like that, if he dated. But I always pictured him all prim and proper and a gentleman when he was human.

Gabriel even had that articulation thing down. Not a single word mispronounced, not a single abbreviation. I'd never even heard him cuss.

Funny how Bella ended up falling for the human, French, version of Edward.

I felt something hard hit my head and turned to Edward. "Do _not _compare me to _that_," he hissed, pointing in the direction of the restaurant.

I rolled my eyes. Touchy, touchy.

We were currently sitting up on a tree, where we could have the clearest view of Bella. She and Gabriel were sitting at a table in the garden in his backyard. It was a beautiful setting. Flowers, garden chairs, candle lights…It was pretty romantic.

I had to admit, Bella looked stunning. Bella was always beautiful, don't get me wrong. Even as a child, you could see that. She had that cute button nose, the big, shining brown eyes, the rosy cheeks…

Honestly, and I had never told anyone this, she reminded me of what Rose's and my kid would look like. I knew Edward knew this, because he was a freaking mind reader who couldn't mind his own business.

But I'd never even told Rose. I didn't need to upset her unnecessarily.

Rose considered Bella her own baby, though, so at least a part of her was healed.

The truth was, I owed Bella. She just came into our lives and did what I'd been trying to do for decades in mere minutes. She healed my true love. She gave her hope, love and a child to care for.

I couldn't have been happier.

I'd never thought of myself as a father. I didn't think I would be a good one. I wasn't a serious man most of the time. I remembered little flashes of when I was a human, and I knew I had a lot of nieces and nephews, and I knew I loved them like crazy.

But Bella? Wow, now that's a kid worth dying for.

Now here I was, hiding in a tree with Edward, spying on her while she was on her first date. I didn't know if it was wrong or just plain exciting.

When had I been a sucker for rules, anyway, right?

I turned to him, and noticed that his eyes hadn't left Bella. "You do know this is obsessive, stalker-ish behavior, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Without averting his gaze from Bella, he replied, "No, it isn't. This is simply what two concerned people do for their loved one."

I snorted. "They stalk their loved one on their first date?" I asked sarcastically. "You also know that Bella would never forgive us when she catches us?"

Edward was the one laughing now. "Emmett, we're two very skilled vampires. I'm sure we could get through a few hours without being caught," he said smugly.

Don't be too sure of that, bro.

Anyway, his brother came out with a tray of God knows what. Gabriel and Bella started to eat, and talked. I had never seen her so carefree with a boy before. I didn't really see a whole lot of Gabriel in Paris.

In school, I only saw the two of them during lunch and Edward distracted Bella enough then. So, really, it shocked me.

I knew Bella felt a certain attraction to Gabriel, but really. She'd always been shy around boys, even Mike Newton. She didn't feel a smidgen of attraction towards him, but she still blushed if he stared at her or something.

But with Gabriel? Damn, she didn't even break a sweat while they talked.

Sometime during the main course, Gabriel reached forward across the table to take Bella's hand. Before I knew what was happening, Edward had thrown a piece of rock at Gabriel. It hit him on the chest, causing the boy to retract his hand and rubbed his chest in pain.

I chuckled and threw a glance at Edward, who was scowling but looking smug at the same time. "They're on a _date_, Edward," I pointed out the obvious. "You can't keep throwing stuff at him. They're gonna have to touch at some point."

He shook his head and continued to stare intently in Bella's direction. I thought I heard him mutter "Not if I can help it".

I sighed. Maybe it was a good thing I came. You know, keep him sane? Or prevent him from killing Bella when Gabriel kissed her later?

Edward shot me an agonized look. "You think they'll kiss?" he whispered.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. Boy, did I wished I could just disappear now or what? "Uh…" I said nervously. "Edward, it's sort of expected. I-I think they would, yeah," I shot him an apologetic look.

He stared at me for a long moment, then turned his head away to look at Bella again. I saw his fists clenched, and didn't need to be an empath to know that he was hurting.

Man, I hated this. I wished we could just come right out and tell Bella the truth. But that would only scare her, and I didn't want to ruin her future with Edward.

Edward still couldn't get over the fact that she liked Gabe, even if it was just a little crush.

The fact that Edward and Bella had kissed a few months ago certainly didn't help any. Edward said that Bella had thought it was a mistake.

_I _thought they were both being stupid. Edward should have just screw it and kissed her again. Maybe she wouldn't think it was a mistake after that. Unless he's a terrible kisser, of course. Hmm. Maybe that was the problem.

"Hey, do you think-"

Edward growled at me, and shot me a sharp look. "Don't even think of finishing that sentence, Emmett," he snapped at me.

Every time Gabriel reached out to touch Bella or hold her hand or tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Bella would blush and Edward would throw something at him to distract him or irritate him or both.

Some time before dessert came along, Bella asked to be excused to the bathroom.

I was getting bored just sitting around watching Bella talk about art and whatever. What happened to make-out sessions? Not that I wanted to see _that_, but if he'd at least tried it, Eddie and I would have moved to take him out instead of just sitting in a tree.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Oh thank you, Muse. If only you'd kick the stick right out of Edward's butt.

I turned to Edward and shot him a mischievous grin. "Hey, Eddie?" I called out. He glared at me. "What do you say to a little prank?"

I shared my plan with Edward by running through it in my head. I thought that maybe Edward would say something along the lines of 'it's morally wrong' or something.

Instead, he returned my grin, flashing me a thumbs up.

Edward went inside the house to mess with the dessert. It was some sort of fancy stuff I'd never heard of. Edward had, though. Sissy.

Anyway, I stayed outside to mess with Gabriel's mind. Edward would be joining me soon. I stayed hidden in the trees but I stayed on lower branches. I hid in the shadows.

Gabriel was smiling to himself as he waited for Bella to come out of the bathroom. I recognized that smile. I'd worn that smile. Hell, I invented that smile.

It was the 'I'm-doing-so-great-I'm-gonna-score' smile.

I felt a growl building up in my chest and glared at the dude. No matter, what this French guy wasn't going to be Frenching my sister.

I knew that I told Edward that Bella and Gabriel would probably kiss during the date. Maybe not a full on the lips kiss. I mean, it was only the first date…But then again, it had been an amazing date so far as much as I could tell.

Seriously, though, I couldn't just let my sister kiss some random guy. And a human, no less? Disgusting.

Well, it wouldn't be disgusting to her…But she wasn't as vile as normal humans. And I didn't care what went on in his mind - if he was looking to score, he was your typical, average male. I can't have that around my own baby sister.

I ran behind Gabriel, whispered, "Boo" and ran back to hide in the shadows. By the time Gabriel's heart sped up and he spun around in surprise, I was already in the safety of the shadows. I chuckled.

This was going to be fun.

I collected some sticks and stones, running to different angles and pelted Gabriel with them. He was turning around in circles as his eyes widened.

Hmm. Maybe I could make him think he was crazy? If he were to be admitted to a mental asylum, it would solve our little problem.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

For the entire journey from our house to his, Gabriel pondered my relationship with Bella. I didn't blame him. I, too, would get anxious if the girl I was falling for came into the room holding hands with another man.

And it didn't make it any easier that he was there to pick her up for a date.

I myself kept thinking back to that moment we shared in her room, and the fact that holding her hand had felt so natural. The both of us hadn't actually realized it until Gabriel's thoughts notified me.

I was sitting on a top branch in one of the trees in the Toussaint's garden. Emmett said that this was bordering on stalker behavior. I wouldn't call it that - I'd say it was more of a very protective gesture to ensure the safety of a loved one.

And I knew Emmett wasn't really complaining. He usually agreed to any crazy ideas. So I might be going a little overboard, but I just wanted to keep Bella safe.

Was it so wrong of me not to want anyone else to kiss her? I had claimed her lips, just for a few blissful seconds, not months before. I wanted her to be mine only.

_I really want to know about Edward_, Gabriel kept thinking. _I wonder if she would get angry at me. She told me herself Edward wasn't her brother…I don't understand it at all_

During the salad, Gabriel finally managed to ask Bella about me. He had cleared his throat nervously, tugged at the collar of his shirt and given her an awkward smile. Then he had brought me up.

"Bella," he had said, his French accent audible even all the way up this tree. "I wanted to ask you something. I hope you wouldn't take this the wrong way and get upset at me."

Well, I could see what Emmett meant about articulation. But there was no comparison whatsoever to me. None.

Bella had smiled at him encouragingly and taken his hand in hers. I snapped off a thin twig and threw it at Gabriel's head. Bella frowned, pulling back.

I smiled smugly to myself.

"You can ask me anything, Gabriel," Bella assured him. "Don't worry."

Gabriel nodded, taking a deep breath. He looked her straight in the eyes, a serious look on his face. "It's concerning Edward," he said steadily.

Bella looked surprised, a blush spreading across her pale cheeks. "E-Edward?" she asked, her fingers trailing patterns on the tablecloth.

Gabriel nodded once more. "Yes…I was just wondering what your relationship with him was," he said hesitantly.

She raised an eyebrow, though she still looked nervous. Why was she nervous? Did she not want him to know we were simply best friends? That we were soul mates? That we were more?

"Gabe…" Bella shook her head. "Why are you asking this?"

Gabriel sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "You were holding hands with him," he said, sulking slightly.

Bella laughed, reaching forward and brushing his hair from his eyes. "Gabe, Edward's my best friend. You know that," she smiled at him.

I turned away from them. She was looking at him so adoringly…It was positively sickening.

Emmett clapped me on the back, but I shrugged him off, fuming. "Dude, you've gotta chill," he whispered. "Another notch and you'd bring down the entire tree."

I glared at him, but I knew he was right. I couldn't risk Bella catching us. She would be very incensed at me, and I didn't want that. So I took deep breaths through clenched teeth and forced myself to calm down.

Maybe I should have brought Jasper along.

Gabriel bit his lip, and took Bella's hand in his. Again, Edward threw a pebble at him. It hit him in the head, hard. Not enough to draw blood, though, thank God.

Gabriel moved his hand and rubbed his head. "I just wanted to make sure…I can't understand your relationship with Edward," Gabriel admitted sheepishly.

Bella smiled. "It's complicated, yes, but I assure you - there's nothing going on between Edward and I," she took his hand, kissed his knuckle and let go.

I stared at her from where I was hidden. Did she really believe that? Did she honestly believed that we were nothing more? Hadn't she dreamt of our kiss everyday for three weeks since it happened? Didn't she dream of it every now and again? I should know, I'd heard her talk about it when she was sleeping.

Or did it really mean nothing to her? Why would she dream of me, of our kiss, when it meant nothing to her?

Emmett was saying something like 'that's harsh'. I barely listened to him. I could only focus on Bella. I knew Alice said that she needed time, but this was getting ridiculous.

Bella stood up to go into the bathroom inside the house. Gabriel stayed outside to clear up and straighten out the table for dessert.

Emmett was getting bored of simply sitting in a tree. He turned to me and smiled wickedly. "Hey, Eddie," he called out. I glared at him. He knew how much I hated that nickname, yet he called me that all the time. What was wrong with him?

"What do you say to a little prank?"

I saw in his mind that he thought Gabriel was counting on getting a kiss from Bella tonight. I saw that Emmett was angry a boy would just go ahead and do that on a first date with his sister.

I smiled slightly. Emmett had told me that Bella and Gabriel kissing was to be expected - they were dating after all. But it still angered Emmett. He thought that Gabriel wasn't good enough for her.

I concurred.

So instead of telling him how doing something drastic to them was morally repugnant, I went right ahead and smiled an evil grin.

I could tell Emmett was surprised I went along with it, but he told me his plan in his head, anyway. I nodded my head and moved stealthily into the house. Neither Bella, Gabriel nor his brother saw me or felt my presence. It was one of the better times to be a vampire.

I went for the dessert - maybe if we destroy that, Gabriel would bring Bella home earlier, and their night would be cut short.

His brother was apparently very good at cooking. It ran in his blood since Gabriel's mother was a chef. He was making soufflé for his little brother and Bella. This was just too easy.

I looked into the oven, opening the door so that the smell of the soufflé rushed to greet me. I pulled a face at the disgusting stench. What human could eat this? Then again, they would probably say the same thing about mountain lions.

I smiled at the dessert, then slammed the oven door as hard as I could without breaking it. As predicted, the soufflé collapsed.

I tensed as I heard someone coming in to the kitchen. Of course the loud noise would have alerted someone. I ran out of the kitchen and slipped out the backdoor. I was right up in the tree again without Gabriel even realizing that I had been in his house.

Emmett appeared right next to me, chuckling. "How'd it go, bro?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I grinned, because I knew he heard the oven door slam and didn't know what it meant.

I shrugged. "Their dessert is completely ruined," I announced proudly. I tilted my head towards Gabriel. "What are you doing to him?"

Emmett clapped his hand together. "Just scaring the crap out of him," he answered. "Going around whispering things then running away at vampire speed…Care to join me?"

I would love nothing more than to upset him, make him think he's crazy and have his brother admit him into a mental institution. So, of course, I said yes.

Emmett still went around whispering things. He would say things like 'the earth is falling' or 'the green peppers said you knew what they knew'. Honestly, I didn't know how he even came up with it, and I didn't want to know.

I went around rearranging the furniture in the garden. First I placed his chair on the table, then I placed the candle on his head. Then I moved Bella's chair on top of Gabriel's chair on the table so that they were balanced precariously on each other. I kept moving the flowers from one spot to another.

I heard Bella coming back out to the garden and placed everything in its right position again. By this time, Gabriel was already sitting on the floor, his hands over his eyes, his knees drawn up to his chest.

I hid in the tree again, Emmett right next to me.

Bella came out, saw Gabriel and panicked. "Gabe?" she called out, running to his side. "Gabriel! Are you alright?" He finally lifted his head to look at her.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. "T-the table…the chairs…They moved," he stuttered. I chuckled, knocking fists with Emmett.

Bella looked around her, squinting in the darkness. Her eyes narrowed, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

Emmett nudged my side. _Do you think she knows it's us?_ He asked worriedly.

I didn't know the answer to that, of course, since I couldn't read her mind. I merely shrugged.

Bella turned back to Gabriel. "Well, it's alright now, Gabe," she said soothingly, running her hand through his hair. My fists clenched at the sight of that.

It took thirty minutes before Gabriel calmed down, and before thoughts like _the flowers were talking_ and _poltergeist placed the candle on my head_ disappeared.

Gabriel's brother had already come out and told them that the soufflé was ruined. Gabriel was now looking embarrassed and remorseful. _Oh, what would Bella think of me now? I couldn't even give her a perfect date…She'll probably won't want to see me anymore._

And to that, I'd say 'good riddance'.

But Bella had other plans. She'd wanted to just walk around the extensive garden the in the Toussaint's yard.

Gabriel was more than happy to oblige. They walked around hand in hand while Emmett and I pelted him with small pebbles every now and again just to get him to loosen his grip on Bella.

They just walked in silence for a while. Gabriel then took her to the front porch where there was a telescope. Gabriel's brother was apparently an avid stargazer. He was interested in astrology.

Because of this, Gabriel knew quite a bit about stars. I watched as they stargazed together, and Gabriel explained the constellations to Bella.

I wouldn't let him anywhere near her, though. Every time he moved to touch her back, or kiss her cheek, I'd pelt him with a pebble.

Emmett found this hilarious and wanted to throw rocks at Gabriel for no reason. I found it a necessity.

Finally, after his third attempt at kissing her cheek didn't work, Bella sighed, turning to smile at Gabriel. "It's getting late, Gabriel. My dad would get worried if I don't go home soon," she said.

Gabriel nodded his head, smiling, though I could hear the disappointment in his thoughts. He had really wanted to kiss Bella, even if it was on the cheek.

Emmett and I followed the Audi back to our house. Gabriel climbed out of the car first, opened Bella's door for her and offered her his hand. They walked hand in hand right up to the porch.

I knew the whole family would be watching and hearing. It would be strange if we weren't there. I shared a look with Emmett. "Sneak in through the back door?" I suggested.

He nodded his head vigorously. "You bet."

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Tonight had been especially wonderful. Gabriel was the perfect gentleman. I couldn't think of one person that was as kind and sweet as he was…Except for Edward, of course. But that was probably because he was born in the 1900s.

I shook my head slightly to clear it. There I go again, thinking of Edward. No wonder Gabriel had asked me about him during dinner.

Then again, we had went down to the living room holding hands…I wondered why it hadn't felt wrong at all, like it fit to do that. It was probably just because he was my best friend.

Or, as Jasper put it, my soul mate.

Could he really be? I mean, what Jasper said about us feeling the same as the other, knowing each other so well, being completely free to be ourselves with one another…All of that was true. I had always just chalked it up to my being his best friend, and vice versa.

But soul mates?

No matter how you put it, 'soul mates' was a very heavy title. It scared me to think that Edward and I could be like that. Deep down, though, it excited me. Just a little.

I sighed as we reached the house. Gabriel opened my door for me, took my hand and led me to the porch.

We held hands as we walked to the front door. When we reached it, I turned to Gabriel and smiled at him. "I had a really great time tonight, Gabe," I told him. Even if he did went a little crazy at the end…I knew just who to blame.

Gabriel smiled back at me. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

I laughed and nodded my head. "Yes."

He leaned forward, stepping closer to me. My heart skipped a beat a little, though it wasn't hammering like crazy. Maybe that was a good thing?

I had wanted to kiss Gabriel, though, even back in Paris. So I leaned forward, as well, arms wrapping around his neck.

The door swung open, and there stood Emmett. Gabriel's eyes widened at the sight of him. Emmett took hold of my arm and yanked me inside. I stumbled, but Emmett caught me of course.

Emmett gave Gabriel a terse smile. "Thanks for bringing her home!" he said, before slamming the door in his face.

I glared at Emmett. "Emmett!" I yelled. "That was beyond rude!" I made to open the door, but Emmett just flung me over his shoulder and carried me into the family room. I yelled and kicked, but it had no effect on him whatsoever.

He finally set me down on the couch. I glared up at him, and stood up. "Where's Edward?" I growled in his face.

Emmett looked surprised one moment, then instantly went to worried the next. "Uh…How should I know? I don't keep track of-"

I ignored him, looking around. Rose, Alice and Esme were already there, waiting eagerly for news on my first date. Alice looked…Extra-hyper.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, pausing. Alice gave a high-pitched giggle and nodded her head. I rolled my eyes. As if my family wasn't twisted enough already.

I stormed away from Emmett, going to the piano, the kitchen, the library… "Edward!" I yelled. "EDWARD!"

Carlisle and Jasper appeared in the living room, looking curiously at me. "Jeez, kid," Jasper teased, rubbing his ears a little. "The first thing you do after a date is call out for Edward?"

I planted my hands on my hips. "I don't have time for humor!" I shouted. "Where is he?"

Speak of the devil, he arrived just in time. His topaz eyes shone of innocence. But I knew that look. It was the one he gave after doing something wrong, and wanted others to fall for it.

Esme recognized it, too. "Oh, dear," she sighed. "Edward, what did you do this time?" she asked warily.

Edward's eyes widened. "I didn't do anything," he said innocently. "Why are you screaming my name, Bella?"

I glared at him. "You don't think I know that you followed Gabe and I? Don't insult my intelligence, Edward," I said angrily, tears starting to form behind my eyes.

Have I mentioned how much I hated my angry tears? They made being huffy and scornful extremely difficult.

Emmett snickered behind me, while Rosalie and Alice gasped in shock. I swiveled around to face Emmett. I jabbed my finger against his cold, hard chest. "And don't think I didn't know you were involved, too!" I spat out.

"'My name is Wilting Flower. I died without love. Will you be my friend'? Come on, Emmett! That was the same thing you said to Joanie in third grade! You practically gave yourself away!"

Emmett gave me a sheepish grin, then shot an apologetic look at Edward. "Sorry, man. Didn't have a lot of time to think of what I was going to say…"

He went to stand behind Rosalie, the coward. Of course, Rose wasn't all that happy with him, either.

I turned back to face Edward. "What. Do. You. Have. To. Say. For. Yourself," I said through gritted teeth.

Edward shrugged his shoulders, not looking like he even felt the slightest bit of remorse. "He's a boy, Bella. I just wanted to make sure you were safe…You hardly know what human males think," Edward said, refusing to back down.

"As opposed to vampire males? Emmett and Jasper are great examples of how men without hormones are like," I said sarcastically. Alice giggled again and I shuddered. So that's what had made her so happy…Gross.

Esme stepped forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. "You followed them, Edward?" she asked, bewildered. But even I could detect the humor in her voice.

I folded my arms across my chest and huffed. This was in no way funny at all. "And what was with the rock throwing?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure you were born in the 1900s, or was it the cavemen era?"

Edward scowled at me. "It was rude to try something on your first date," he said stubbornly.

I threw my hands up in the air. "It's not rude if I wanted him to try something," I fumed.

Carlisle interrupted. "What exactly did he try? What exactly did you wanted him to try?" he asked suspiciously, his eyes going from Edward, to Emmett, to me in mere seconds.

I ignored the overprotective father bit and walked up to Edward. "What on earth were you thinking, Edward?" I raised an eyebrow. "Following us? That was just…" I shook my head. "What possessed you to do that?"

Edward glared right back at me. The intensity of his eyes stunned me. He was the one who was mad at me now? How did the tables turn? "I was only trying to protect you!"

I gritted my teeth. "Protect me!? Edward, I'm a big girl. I could handle it if something went wrong," I informed him. As if I was the damsel in distress. There was a reason why I didn't quite liked fairytales. The damsel in distress thing always bothered me. No woman needed a man to save her.

"Of course. As long as you remembered what Emmett taught you about throwing a punch-"

"-And I did remember. You know, my first date was ruined because you and Emmett decided to play Mission Impossible tonight," I shook my head at him. "I hope you're happy, Edward."

I turned on my heels and stalked off, climbing the stairs.

Protect me. I scoffed, plopping on my bed ungracefully and covering my eyes with my hand. Emmett and Edward had really gone too far this time. I hoped Esme grounded them for eternity and took away driving privileges. Let's just see how Edward could cope without his precious Volvo.

I sighed, thinking back to my date with Gabriel. He had been so sweet to me. I thought it was pretty romantic how he had prepared the garden and all. He even had his brother cook for us…I hoped it wasn't too much trouble.

And when he had leaned in to kiss me…I think I must have blushed so hard.

I frowned, thinking back to earlier today when Edward had ran his finger down my cheek.

I closed my eyes, imagining it again. How he had looked at me so gently, how his cool fingers had felt so wonderful against my overheated skin, how my heart had fluttered when he'd complimented me.

And then he had kissed me on the nose. He'd never done that before. His cool thumb had swept under my lower lip. His eyes had lingered on my mouth, just like mine had lingered on his.

I had wanted to kiss him again, just like we had in-

I shot up in bed, gasping. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Kiss him? I had wanted to kiss Edward?

"Oh, God," I whispered, drawing my knees up to my chest. I was going crazy. There was no other explanation for it. What was going on? How could I…Did I feel that way about Edward? It couldn't be. He was my best friend, that had been established.

But why did my body react that way to him? Why did my brain cease to function properly every time he was around? What on earth was he doing to me?

______________________________________________________________________________

_This chapter was shorter than the last. I'm sorry. The next one will be better. Gabriel will be invited to the Cullens for dinner with the entire family, so you know it'll be silly. I didn't focus too much on Gabe's and Bella's first date because there would be plenty of him in the next chapter. So sorry this isn't all that good.  
_

_Anyway, I decided to take action on the side-story for Bella Hale. It's called - and don't laugh - The Adventures of Silly Bella. LOL. I don't know why I named it that. Too much caffeine really messes up your brain. I hope you check it out, I'll have daily updates for that story as well as this one._

_Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I hoped you had all have a wonderful holiday and had gotten amazing presents._

_Juliet._


	35. Would You Like to Come In?

_**A/N:**__ Hey, guys. So when I told you the number of chapters before Bella realizes, I think you and I both got it all mixed up. Anyway, just to clarify. This is going to be the last chapter where Bella is all mushy over Gabriel. It's their relationship over a period of time._

_Next chapter would be the dance where Bella finally figures out her feelings for Edward. The chapter after that will be ExB officially._

_So only about two/three chapters left._

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all_

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Esme, Edward, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I entered the cafeteria alone today. Gabriel was staying behind for a few minutes in class to speak with the teacher. I didn't bother with the lunch line. It was too long and the Cullens never ate anything on their trays anyway.

I sat next to Edward, who raised an eyebrow at me. "Where's Gabriel?" he asked. I noticed that he still had trouble saying Gabe's name without spitting it out or gritting his teeth. At least he was trying.

But that might have everything to do with the fact that Esme grounded him for two weeks for the stunt he pulled with Emmett…After she had laughed to her heart's desire, of course.

I smiled slightly. "He's coming in a while," I said absentmindedly.

Edward returned my smile and pushed his tray towards me. I took a slice of pizza off his tray and bit into it. "So what's going on?" I asked, looking around.

Edward leaned forward. He cupped the side of his neck with a pale hand. I stared at the single movement, my eyes trailing to his golden orbs. I felt my heartbeat speed up involuntarily, and blushed, looking down at the table top.

He smiled, a crooked dazzling smile that almost had me hyperventilating. "We were thinking of baseball tonight," he said. "Alice saw a storm heading our way."

Emmett threw an apple in the air and caught it effortlessly. "You in?" he asked, gazing around the cafeteria, bored.

I shrugged. "Sorry," I smiled apologetically. "Gabriel's taking me out tonight."

Jasper scoffed. "Again? You two have been out every single night…What does he do on these dates of yours?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

I blushed, glaring at Jasper. He was too busy sending me shots of embarrassment to notice. "Jazz!" I cried out, exasperated.

"Where's he taking you this time?" Rose asked, examining her nails.

I grabbed her soda and popped it open. I took a sip and continued eating my pizza. "Museum," I said between bites.

She snorted. "Why?" she asked, confused.

I rolled my eyes. "He's an artist, Rose. A museum has art, thus the artist goes there," I pointed out the obvious. "I actually enjoy it. He's very passionate about art, you know."

Alice giggled, leaning forward with her hands cupping her cheeks, her topaz eyes glittering. "Is that the only thing he's passionate about?" she asked playfully.

That, of course, just caused me to blush.

A tray slid next to me, and I looked up, expecting Gabriel. Instead, I found Mike Newton with a silly grin plastered on his face. I sighed, too soft for his ears of course. My family, on the other hand, snickered.

I threw them a glare. Sadists.

Edward suddenly growled, throwing an arm around my shoulders protectively. I leaned into him, a little uncomfortable with how close Mike was.

"Hey, Mike," I said warily. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to sit with Jessica and Lauren and all?" I peeked over at his usual table. Sure enough, the entire table was looking at us. Glaring might be a better word for it. I groaned. Great. Just what I needed.

Mike shrugged, leaning even closer. I blinked, shrinking against Edward's cold body. "I thought I'd sit with you today," he smiled.

"Um…" I didn't know what to tell him. "You're sitting in Gabriel's seat!" I blurted out unthinkingly. It was the first thing that came to mind.

Edward stiffened next to me.

Mike shrugged. "I'm sure he won't mind," he said, still giving me that strange smile of his.

Emmett grabbed the empty soda can in front of him and squeezed it. He completely crushed it, and dropped the mangled tin can on the table. "Well, I mind," he growled. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Mike swallowed, staring open mouthed at Emmett. I was pretty sure Jasper was giving him a boost on the fear factor. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. Mike tried to be tough, anyway, and said, "W-well, if Bella wants me here-"

I interrupted him. "Mike, really. It's not very wise to make Emmett angry," I said truthfully. "I'll just see you in class, okay?"

He stared at me for a long moment. The awkward look on his face made me feel guilty. Thankfully, I was saved from saying anything more because Gabriel showed up. He cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Mike. "I believe you are in my seat," he said coolly.

Mike looked so confused by this point. Cornered, even. I felt sorry for him. "See you in class, Mike," I said again, more firmly this time.

He gave me a sheepish look, and stood up. "I guess I'll see you then," he said, picking up his tray. He shot Edward and Gabriel glares, as if they had been his obstacles.

Emmett snorted as soon as Mike was out of the way. "He's the president of your fan club, sis," he joked.

I shot him a glare, then turned to Gabriel. He slid into the seat next to mine and kissed my cheek. I blushed, and smiled at him. "Are we still on for tonight?" I asked.

"On?" he frowned.

I laughed. "We're still going, right?"

Gabriel's smile widened, and he nodded his head. "Yes. I hope you don't mind taking the Audi again," he said.

I shrugged. "Of course not. Is it still here? I thought your brother would have shipped it off by now," I mused. Gabriel's brother was an adventurer, just like Gabe. He wanted to see the world and whatnot. The latest on his list was Australia.

"Shipped it off?" Rosalie asked, looking mildly interested in this.

I bit my lip. "Yeah…He's going to Australia, just to live for a little while there," I explained.

"Aren't you going with him?" Edward asked, somehow managing to sound polite while he asked that.

I avoided everyone's gaze. How could I tell them that Gabe was staying because of me? For me? How could I tell them that Gabriel was staying just so he could be with me?

I didn't have to say anything, though, because Gabriel took my hand, smiled tenderly at me and shook his head. "No. I'm staying right here," he said firmly.

I really liked Gabriel. I liked the way he saw the world, the way everything seemed so interesting and new to him. He could turn the simplest thing into the most intriguing thing in the world. And he was passionate about art, about life…

I liked that he was easy to talk to, that he understood me somewhat. And he came all the way to Forks from Paris, just to be with me.

How many girls could say the same thing?

I was glad that I was getting a chance to get to know Gabriel further. I was glad that we had more time together.

But I wasn't going to be around much longer. At least, not as a human. I'd have to break it off at some point. I had less than two years left. I didn't know how long my relationship with Gabriel would last if I were to stay human, but I would never get the chance to know that.

A part of me was incredibly upset about that. Gabriel was a wonderful guy. I was lucky to have time with him. The girl he would choose to spend his life with, devote his life to, would be the luckiest girl alive.

Another part of me was excited at leaving behind my human life. I wanted nothing more than to be a Cullen, officially.

I wanted to hug Jasper again without having to worry about boundaries and bloodlust.

I wanted to have a wrestling fight with Emmett.

I wanted to be able to run at vampire speed all the way to Mexico to hide from Alice when she had another crazy urge to shop.

I wanted to race Rose at the speed she drove without worrying about crashing and dying.

I wanted to be the strong vampire best friend for Edward, not the weakling human he had to protect all the time.

I wanted to do Carlisle and Esme proud.

All of this, though, would hurt Gabriel. Whether I broke it off now, or if I dragged it out and just disappear two years later…It would hurt him.

I didn't want that.

But what could I do? I really did liked him, and he had come all the way from Europe just for me. I sighed inwardly. This was all too complicated.

I felt so conflicted all the time, and I knew Jasper could sense it. He kept giving me hints that he and I could talk if I wanted to.

I did. I wanted someone to tell me what to do, but I knew Jasper would never do that. He would tell me to follow my heart and do what's right because I knew it deep down.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I leaned forward and kissed Gabriel on the cheek. I had Biology next, with Edward. I waved at the rest as Edward and I headed out of the cafeteria.

We were silent for a while, until he broke it. "Bella…" He sighed. "I know I haven't been entirely supportive of Gabriel, but…He's staying for you," he said, stating it rather than asking it as a question.

I nodded my head. "Yes," I whispered. I knew he could hear me, though. Stupid vampire hearing.

Edward shot me a look. "You do know-"

I cut him off, shaking my head. "Yes, I know. I'll figure it out, Edward, don't worry. Please?" I begged. I didn't want to talk about this, least of all with Edward.

I could always talk to Edward, about anything and everything. Gabriel, though, was a sore subject between us. He couldn't say Gabe's name without flinching and I couldn't talk about Gabe in front of Edward without feeling a painful pang in my heart.

God only knew why.

Lately, though, I had been having these strange feelings. I would blush harder when Edward smiled at me, my heart would beat faster when he looked at me…

I wondered if I had always felt like that, if it had just happened one day and I had just neglected to noticed it.

It had always just felt so right to be around Edward. Even the embarrassing moments hadn't felt awkward or strange. It was just _Edward_, you know? He was my best friend, so we shared pretty much everything together. I figured that it was just natural that the embarrassing things were involved, as well.

"Class!" Mr. Banner called out. I sighed in relief, focusing on the class instead of the conflicting emotions raging inside of me.

******************************************************************************

I smiled as the night breeze blew on my face. Gabriel and I had just finished looking at the art exhibits. We were just strolling around the front of the museum, not really minding the slow pace.

It was a beautiful night, and the lights around the front of the museum cast a soft, orange glow around us.

Gabriel suddenly stopped. Since our hands were entwined, I stopped right along with him. I looked at him curiously.

He had that same look on his face a few nights before, when we went on our first date. He wanted to kiss me.

He stepped closer to me, arms encircling my waist. I smiled, placing my arms around his neck.

I wanted this, too. Gabriel was a great guy, and I'd wanted to kiss him since Paris…But a tiny little voice in my head kept saying this was wrong.

No matter how much I liked him, Gabriel and I weren't meant to be. My destiny was to be a vampire. In less than two years, if I ever got this close to him, I would kill him instantly.

The thought itself made me want to cringe.

_What is wrong with you, Bella? Gabriel is about to kiss you, and all you could think about was how you'd drain him dry soon enough? That is just sick._

As soon as his soft, warm lips touched mine, my eyes slid close. I felt my own lips move against his, and smiled into the kiss.

This felt nice, being this way with Gabriel. He was just so sweet and so caring…I loved that about him.

Somehow, though, it felt wrong. I felt disgusted with myself for kissing him. Not only because of my future but because…Well, as strange as it was to admit it, because of Edward.

I kept thinking back to when he and I kissed. I knew that the both of us decided that it was wrong. But I had been disappointed that he agreed it was a mistake. I had dreamt about kissing him, and how it felt like to have his cold lips on my warm ones.

Kissing Edward was different than kissing Gabriel.

With Gabriel, it felt nice and warm.

With Edward, it felt amazing, and magical and right. I swore, when our lips had touched, I had felt an electricity humming between our bodies. For those precious seconds, every single piece of my life fell into place.

I pulled back from Gabriel's kiss, and gave him a smile. I wouldn't ruin this. I had very little time with Gabriel left, and I won't ruin it by thinking of things - and people - that I couldn't have.

His brother was leaving for Australia in a few months. I should convince him that he should leave with him. But not now. I wanted to spend every last minute I could with him.

I had come to really appreciate Gabriel's company, his friendship, and his heart. I knew it was selfish of me to keep him around for longer than was necessary, and it was selfish of me to use him this way.

I mean, it was cruel how I knew this was going to end soon and Gabriel was just…Oblivious to it all. But I couldn't help myself.

He was gentlemanly, and sweet, caring and kind…I loved his passion, his art, his eyes. It was just hard for me to let go.

Gabriel returned my smile and lifted a hand to my cheek. "Was it alright that I did that?" he asked me, suddenly worried.

No brothers or Edward following me around in the shadows. No Alice to squeal loud enough to break glass. And no Carlisle to kill him.

Yes, this was perfect.

So I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a wide smile. "It was _definitely _alright," I replied cheekily, leaning in for another kiss.

******************************************************************************

I cut myself a piece of lasagna that I had made. It was one of those rare times when I could cook for myself. Not that I didn't appreciate and enjoy Esme's cooking, but I did enjoy depending on myself every once in a while.

I sat down at the dining table and popped a piece of lasagna in my mouth, my eyes never leaving the History textbook in front of me. I had a test coming up next week, and I wanted to be sure to get my facts right.

It didn't help that Jasper kept telling me things about the Civil War, either.

His accounts and what was written in the textbooks contradict each other sometimes. While he might have gotten it right because he was there, I needed more proof than 'my-vampire-brother-went-through-the-Civil-War-and-told-me-this-is-how-it-went-down'.

In other words, I needed to use the information in the textbooks rather than rely on Jasper's tales of what had happened in the 1800s.

I paused, swallowing a bite of the lasagna. Sometimes it was incredibly _creepy _to think that my brother had been born in the 1800s. He was just so…Old. I chuckled to myself, and continued to read. Jasper wouldn't like it if I told him that.

Esme, Rosalie and Emmett came into the living room, Emmett smiling like a cat who ate the canary. Rose and Esme merely looked serious, as if they were going to discuss something important with me.

I remembered Esme wearing the same look when she and Carlisle gave me 'the talk'. I shuddered at the plain memory of it.

Rose sat on my right and Esme sat on my left. Emmett sat opposite me, still grinning from ear to ear. I placed my fork down and sighed. "Alright, what's going on?" I asked suspiciously.

Esme placed a hand on my arm. "Sweetie, we have to talk," she said seriously. I gulped. I hoped Emmett didn't rat me out for that prank I pulled last week…I only put red coloring in the pool to scare Jasper.

"We know about Gabriel, about how he's staying behind for you," Esme begun.

I let my gaze dropped to the table. Ah. So that was what this was about. Great. I'd have preferred it to be about the prank.

"Is that wise, angel? You know…" Esme hesitated, unable to say the last part.

I nodded, still not meeting her gaze. "I know, mom. But I can't help it. I do like him. Very much. I also know that I should let him go…I'm not sure, this is all very confusing," I let out a heavy sigh.

Rosalie folded her arms across her chest. "See?" she stuck her tongue out at Esme. "I told you we shouldn't let her date."

Esme glared at Rosalie, then turned back to me. "None of us are going to force you to do anything, angel. You're going to have to make the right decision on your own. This is very important, though, so think it through thoroughly, okay?" she leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"I know you're smart enough to do the right thing."

I nodded my head, looking up to smile at her a little. I didn't know if her faith was justified in this scenario.

Then Emmett clapped his hands together and said, "Mom, tell her about your plan." He said this a little too gleefully…Hmm, I wondered what was up.

Esme sighed. "Don't wear yourself out with the excitement, Emmett," she said sarcastically. Emmett wasn't the slightest bit abashed.

Turning back to me, she said, "Since you and Gabriel are quite serious about each other-" Well, we had been dating for almost three months now… "-your father and I have decided that we should invite him to dinner."

I stared at her. "Invite who?" Surely she couldn't mean Gabriel.

"Gabriel."

"To _dinner_?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Here, of course, dear. I'll make spaghetti…Unless he'd like something French. I could always learn from the food network," Esme mused.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"You can't be serious…You want Gabriel to come _here _for _dinner_? With the _entire family_?" I was on the verge of hysteria by now. How was this even happening? This had to be either a really bad joke or my worst nightmare.

Esme waved off my worried expression. "Oh, I'm sure everyone would be on their best behavior-"

Emmett started laughing, and I groaned, smacking my forehead. If Emmett was laughing now, he would certainly take up the opportunity to embarrass me when Gabriel was in the house.

Esme shot him a glare and he quiet down, though his grin was still ever-present. I turned to Esme, clasping my hands together in front of me pleadingly. "Mom, I'm begging you, don't do this. This…It's worse than death!"

Rosalie snorted, shaking her head. "And people think I'm the drama queen…" She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "You really are my daughter," she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

I tried to push off her arm, but it didn't work, of course. I settled for an angry glare.

Esme shook her head. "It's not negotiable, Bella. Carlisle, Rose and I hardly know the boy. He's dating our daughter. Dinner is a mandatory. Invite him over on Friday night. I promise to keep everyone in check," she kissed my cheek and stood up, walking off.

Emmett leaned forward, raising an eyebrow at me. "So what do you think? Childhood stories or sex jokes?" he asked, grinning like a maniac.

I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. This was going to be too embarrassing for me to live through.

******************************************************************************

_Esme's POV_

I hummed to myself as I made spaghetti. Rosalie was less than pleased at having to be pleasant to a human other than Bella. Especially since he was coming to the house. Carlisle was getting the boys ready while Bella was desperately trying to get Alice to see if Gabriel was making any plans on canceling.

Oh, she could be so paranoid sometimes. Sure, Emmett wouldn't miss the chance to embarrass her later tonight, but I'd keep him in check. I only wanted to get to know the boy my daughter was spending her free time with.

It seemed like the two of them went out every other night for the past three months. Despite that, Bella had always dragged him out of the house within three seconds of his appearance. She knew that he would get interrogated by all of us if she stayed for a longer period of time.

Oh, poor Edward. Not only did he have to endure Gabriel's constant presence for three long months, he would have to endure him tonight, as well. Carlisle had wanted the entire family present.

Well, I supposed he would have to just keep his anger in check.

I heard the click clack of high heels as Bella came into the kitchen, followed by Alice who was still fussing over Bella's outfit. She had dragged Bella for Bella Barbie time hours ago. Bella was now dressed in a red dress that came all the way to her knees, and high heels to match. She was, also, swatting Alice's lithe hands off of her.

She gave me her best pleading look, but I wasn't swayed. I had grown accustomed to that puppy dog pout years ago. "Mom, please. I'm begging you…Call this off," she pleaded.

I shook my head, smiling widely. "It's too late for that, angel. I'm already halfway done with the spaghetti. And the crème brûlée is all done!"

I knew why Bella was anxious about tonight.

Emmett was going to embarrass her, Edward was going to be temperamental, Carlisle and Jasper would go into overprotective mode and Rosalie would make threats. Alice would squeal and get all excited and I would probably ask awkward questions…

But she really didn't need to worry. I had already talked to everyone about being on their best behavior. I had even threatened Rose and Edward into acting nicely around the human boy.

Jasper sauntered into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Alice, kissing her lovingly. He shot Bella a look. "Would you relax, Bella?" he laughed. "Your nerves are worse than when we found out the Volturi was coming."

"The Volturi, I can handle. In fact, I would just about trade this dinner for a visit from dear old Aro right about now," she muttered, helping me with the spaghetti.

Alice rolled her eyes at her. "Really, Bella. You act as if we'd completely humiliate you in front of Gabriel!" she said, affronted.

Bella gave Emmett a pointed look as he came into the kitchen, grinning like an idiot, a bored Rosalie on his arm. "There's a reason for that," she said dryly. I laughed at her concerns. It was, actually, justified.

She gestured to the heels. "And is it necessary to put me in heels? It's hard enough for me to walk properly with flats…"

Alice huffed, throwing her hands up in the air. "What is your problem with heels now?" she practically growled at Bella. I shot her a glare - now wasn't the time to go into fashion lectures.

Bella glared right back at her. Living with vampires for over a decade has made her quite rebellious, if I did say so myself. "Heels are a male invention designed to make women's butts look smaller-," she quipped.

She was interrupted when the doorbell rang and Carlisle called out, "I'll get it!"

Bella's eyes widened and her heart started to pound faster as she panicked. She ran towards the kitchen door, stumbling along the way. "And to make it harder for them to run away!" she finished yelling the reason for my aversion to high heels over her shoulder.

Of course Carlisle had already opened the door, invited Gabriel in and led him to the living room. We were all peeking from the kitchen doorway, even Alice who had no doubt already seen this.

I watched Bella gave Gabriel an apologetic smile, and took his hand, sitting next to him.

"Dad," she said, almost a warning for him to keep in check. "What were you and Gabe talking about?"

Carlisle laughed, though it sounded tense to me. "It's been only a minute, Bella. We haven't gotten around to talking yet," he said.

She brightened up at that. "Great! Gabe, would you like a tour of the house?" she raised an eyebrow at him as she turned to face him.

Gabriel smiled, nodding his head. "Sure," he replied.

His hand still in hers, Bella pulled him up and waved at Carlisle. She led Gabriel deeper into the house. He looked around in awe. Gabriel had picked her up for every single one of their dates, but he had never been beyond the living room.

He saw the piano and shot her a look. "Whose is that?" he asked, stepping towards it.

She stopped him. "It's Edward's…You might not want to touch it," I laughed nervously.

Edward would _definitely _be unhappy with Gabriel if he touched the piano. For the life of me, I couldn't understand how someone could be as possessive over cars and a piano as much Edward was.

And don't even get me started on his CDs. And his stereo - even though _that _I could understand. It was state of the art.

Gabriel nodded his head and followed her towards the kitchen. The rest of us scrambled and dispersed long before they entered.

Alice had taken over Bella's duty of helping me with the food, while Jasper and Emmett were having a competition over the sausages. I rolled my eyes. They could have a competition over anything, even inedible things. Well, inedible to _us_, anyway.

I wiped my hands clean on a towel and came forward, shaking Gabriel's hand. "Hello, dear. I was just making some spaghetti for dinner…I hope you like that," I smiled warmly at Gabe. I didn't have empathic abilities, but even I could smell the fear and anxiety coming off of the boy.

Poor thing. We must have scared him.

Gabe immediately lightened up and smiled back. "Yes, I do…Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked, looking around.

I shook my head. "It's almost ready. Why don't you have a look around the house with Bella?" I asked, giving Bella a knowing look to show that I had heard my conversation with Gabriel earlier on.

Alice gave Bella a mischievous grin and said, "Gabriel, did you know Bella played the piano, too?"

Gabriel's eyes brightened as he looked at Bella. She blushed, shuffling from one foot to the other. "You do?" he asked eagerly. Bella hesitated, then nodded her head slowly. There was no point in lying. Emmett would call her bluff anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.

Bella laughed a little. "I'm not that good at it…Edward's the musical genius in the family," she explained.

I knew better, though. Call it a mother's intuition. Bella didn't want to tell Gabriel that she played because he would ask her if he could hear a song from her. And Bella didn't play for anyone but Edward.

Sure, we would hear her play during their lessons and whenever they had free time. But that was essentially her time alone with Edward. We generally gave them their privacy.

I had never head her so happy, so carefree, as when she was with Edward. She looked so… Beautiful. That was the only word to describe it. It was like every single one of her problems had melted away, leaving just Edward and the piano with her.

She wouldn't even play for me unless Edward was there.

If she wouldn't play for her mother, how could she play for a boy who wasn't Edward?

"Let's go upstairs," Bella said, trying to divert his attention.

The motherly side of me panicked. Upstairs? With a boy?

Of course, we would hear everything that would happen between the two, so it really wouldn't be a secret what they did. Besides, I raised Bella to be a responsible adult. She wouldn't do anything despicable.

Carlisle would kill the boy and Edward would throw him to the mountain lions if he tried anything, anyway.

"Okay, but remember to be extra _safe_, kid!" Emmett hollered from where he stood. Bella flushed as she rushed Gabriel out the door. Emmett and Jasper were laughing uncontrollably, and I turned to them, yelling at them to stop.

I heard Bella apologizing for her brothers' behavior in the hallway. "Sorry about that," I said apologetically.

Thank God Gabriel didn't seem like he understood Emmett's crude joke.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I showed Gabriel around, pointing to different rooms, and even showing him Jasper's study. It was pretty impressive. And while Gabe wasn't as passionate about literature as I was, he still appreciated it well enough.

We reached the third floor. "That's Edward's room…" I said, pointing to the door. I knew Edward was inside, so I didn't really want to show him inside.

Finally we reached the last door, and I bit my lip nervously. Gabriel nodded towards the door and shot me an inquisitive look. "What's in there?" he asked curiously.

I wrung my hands together. "T-that's my room," I said quietly.

Surprisingly enough, Gabriel heard it. "Really? Can I see it?" he asked.

Sure, Gabriel. Step right into my room when my entire family was listening in. Not only would Emmett and Jasper crack sex jokes for a month, Carlisle, Rosalie and Edward would kill you for even thinking it.

Of course, I couldn't really say that. Instead, I said what he expected to hear. "Sure…Go right ahead," I gestured.

Gabriel stepped through the doorway and looked around. I hovered in the doorway, watching him. He went from my desk, to my bookshelves, to my…Bed. Not that he actually sat there. Or touched it.

I groaned inwardly. _This was another one of those times when I get paranoid, wasn't it_? I asked myself.

Gabriel turned to find me debating with myself at the doorway. He grinned at me. "Are you going to come in?" he asked amusedly.

I shook my head. "Oh, no," I barked out a short laugh. "I've seen it."

He wasn't done teasing me, though. "You look like you're glued to the door there," he joked.

I took in a calming breath. "No…I'm just, uh, observing my room from a new perspective," I stuttered. "You know, I hardly ever stand here. It's really making me rethink my throw pillows." I was rambling and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself if my life depended on it.

Gabriel laughed, shaking his head. "Would you like me to get out of here?" he asked, taking pity on my anxiety.

The fact that no boy had ever entered my room had crossed my mind…Several times. I mean, my father and my brothers had, but I didn't think that counted. Edward had, too, but he was my best friend. It wasn't a big deal if he came inside my room.

But then, why did I feel so…Guilty that Gabriel was in my room and Edward wasn't? It wasn't like anything had happened here with Edward.

Except that he had been in my room that night when we kissed. He had brought me back to my room, both of us soaking wet. He had hugged me tightly, saying that we were best friends still…

I knew that this had happened in Alaska, but I had asked Esme to decorate my room exactly the same as in Alaska, just like Edward. I was tired of Alice going overboard and decorating everything and anything.

So it was there. The memory fit nicely into the image of my room as it was at the moment.

But I cleared my throat and shook my head. "No, I'm fine with you looking around," I said bravely. If I really concentrated, I could hear the growling of seven vampires.

Gabe laughed, picking up Coco off the bed. "Nice bear," he commented, sarcasm dripping from each word. He held up my worn out teddy bear - one of its eyes had been stitched back on because Emmett had 'accidentally' torn it out, a little tear at the arm showed some stuffing, and a part of one ear was missing.

I pursed my lips, pouting. "Or, you know, at least I _was_," I shot back, taking back my statement about being alright with him looking around my room.

Gabriel smiled at me, and placed Coco back on the bed. He looked around again, then noticed the bulletin board I had on my wall. I blushed, wanting him to just leave now. I had placed several of my artwork on the bulletin board, simply to remind me of art and of Paris. I didn't dare put Gabriel's because it would ruin his beautiful work.

"What's this?" he asked, walking over to the bulletin board.

I took a tentative step inside the room, and walked over to the board as well. "You see, when I left Paris…I was very amazed by your art, Gabe. So I decided to start drawing, too. I'm not half as good as you," I added quickly, hoping that he would get the hint and stopped scrutinizing my work. "But it's just a hobby, so…"

Gabriel shook his head, taking my hand and grinning at me. "No, no. These are brilliant," he said enthusiastically.

I smiled hopefully at him. "You think?" I asked eagerly.

Gabe nodded. "Of course, cherie. You…These are just wonderful. You have a knack for art, I see," he bumped into my side.

I blushed, looking at the bulletin of my artwork. I had drawn quite a lot of landscapes, but of course that was to be expected when Esme kept choosing beautiful places for us to live in. I had also drawn people. Not just my family, but the people - and occasional vampires - we had come across over the years. I even had a few of Kate.

"This is beautiful," Gabriel said, drawing me out of my reverie. I looked over to see which one he was looking at.

The color drained from my face when I realized that he was pointing to a drawing of Reflection Pond. I looked around the bulletin board, and realized with a sudden jolt just how many pieces I had done of that place.

Gabriel turned back to me, innocent and naïve. "Where is that?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.

I looked away from his piercing blue eyes guiltily. "Uh…Alaska," I mumbled. I tugged at his hand. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I'm sure spaghetti's ready."

Gabriel pulled me back into his embrace and smiled tenderly at me. "Do you know, Bella? I think you look very beautiful tonight," he told me quietly. I blushed, as I always did whenever someone complimented me.

But why wasn't my heart racing the way it should? It had back in Paris. It even had for a while when Gabriel had come to Forks…But why not now?

Gabe leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I was too shocked to move. I only knew that there was no electricity, no desire to pull him closer, no feelings like I had when Edward and I had kissed.

Pushing that thought out of my head, I pulled Gabriel closer to me anyway.

Edward and I weren't meant to be, either. I couldn't even imagine what the rest of the family would say if they knew I was even thinking it.

Forget the rest of the family, Edward himself would roll on the floor, laughing himself to death if he knew.

I heard someone clearing their throat and pulled back from Gabriel. I was expecting to see Carlisle or someone else at the door, but instead, I saw Edward.

I disentangled myself from Gabriel and put a good three feet between us, blushing hard.

Edward looked murderously angry. His eyes had turned coal black. His jaw was clenched and so were his fists. Before I had a chance to ask him what was wrong, he spoke. "Esme wanted to let you know that dinner's ready," he spat out coldly.

He turned and walked away as fast as he could without at human speed.

I faced Gabriel and laughed nervously. "I-I guess we should go down now," I moved towards the door.

Gabriel took hold of my wrist again and stepped closer, kissing my lips once more. "Gabe, my dad's going to come up and murder you if we stay here any longer," I told him honestly. That was definitely what Carlisle would do - if Edward didn't do it first.

He smiled, and let me lead him out of the room.

I knew I should be focused on Gabriel, or on how Emmett was going to embarrass me with a stupid childhood story or even show him an embarrassing picture of me. God only knew he had an abundance of those.

But all I could think of was how angry Edward had looked like when he caught us in my room. All I could think of was how I'd wanted to rush to his side, wrap my arms around his waist and never let him go.

_Was this even _normal _or am I going insane?_

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

He was in her room!? He was in her room and he was kissing her!? Of all the nerve! "Carlisle, let's kill the human boy!" I growled, standing up to rush up the stairs.

Even after Edward had caught them, Gabriel was still going at it, pursuing her. I growled.

Emmett took hold of me by the waist and held me down on the couch. "Babe, you're going to embarrass her," he told me.

I shot him a withering glare. "Like you weren't planning on doing it on purpose?" I spat out at him.

Emmett shrugged, giving me a sheepish look. "Yeah, but I'm Emmett. It's my job to humiliate and joke around…She knows that, she'll forgive me. But you're her mom, and one of her best friends. She won't be so easy on you if you just barged in there."

I shook my head. "That Lothario has wormed his way into my daughter's mouth. Again! And for that, he must die!" I said firmly.

Alice started to giggle at my words, and Emmett shot me a concerned look. "You sure you don't need to hunt, babe?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I stopped struggling against his huge arms and sighed, glaring at him. "Why the hell are you stopping me!?" I asked, frustrated.

Emmett shrugged. "Have you ever thought that Bella…You know, wants to kiss him?" he asked me. I stared at him blankly. Emmett chuckled, kissing my hair lightly. "She's grown up. She's got sexual needs, too-"

I started struggling against him again. "Sexual!? I screeched.

Esme came out of the kitchen, an apron and mitts on her hands as she carried the spaghetti to the dining room. "Volume!" She sang out, looking and sounding like Donna Reed.

I took in a deep breath, and allowed Jasper's gift to work on me so that I was somewhat calmer. "What the hell did you mean by 'sexual' needs?" I demanded. "You don't think…"

"With Gabriel?" Emmett asked. I nodded my head tersely. Emmett shook his head. "Nah. I know sexual energy when I see it, and those two don't have it in them. Well, Gabriel does, but Bella…" he chuckled, shaking his head. "Not even a little."

I relaxed a little, but gave him a confused look anyway. "Then why…?"

"She would still want her privacy, Rose, just let it all work out on its own," he soothed, brushing my hair away from my face.

Edward appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking like he was about to wrangle someone. Hmm, maybe a certain French someone?

He sat on the couch and growled at me, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at everyone. Emmett, of course, had to be the one to break the silence. "Walked in on any make-out sessions, Eddie?" he teased.

Before Edward had a chance to lunge at Emmett, Bella and Gabriel walked down the stairs. I noticed that Bella released Gabriel's hand the moment she saw Edward. I raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Alice who had noticed the same thing.

The boys were oblivious.

Esme called us all in for spaghetti. I shuddered involuntarily. We would have to pretend to eat just so the stupid human wouldn't notice that we all didn't eat anything.

Bella and Gabriel took their seats next to each other. Esme dished out spaghetti on each of their plates, then went around to our plates. I stared at my plate in disgust.

Esme sat down, spaghetti in her own plate and looked around. Bella's eyes widened at the obvious tension and picked up her fork, starting to eat. Gabriel did the same.

"Well," Esme smiled. "Isn't this nice?"

Everyone looked at her as if she had grown another head at the dinner table. She cleared her throat, and turned to Gabriel, "So I heard that your brother is going to Australia?"

I smirked. Good. Let him take the maggot with him.

Gabriel nodded his head. "Yes. Dimitri is very inquisitive about the world. He has always wanted to go to Australia, and now he has the opportunity," Gabriel explained.

"And he's leaving you behind?" Carlisle asked. I could tell that he was half dismayed and half concerned for Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged, smiling. "I am used to taking care of myself. Dimitri came with me because it was a new territory, and my parents were worried. Now I am fully capable of being on my own in America," he said determinedly.

Damn.

Gabriel looked at me, noticing that I hadn't even touched my plate. I realized that the others had kept up their charade - moving their food around their plate, taking pretend bites…Jasper even took a real bite when Gabriel had been looking at him.

But the _food _on my plate was still intact.

He raised his eyes to mine, and flinched at the hostility he saw. Still, he asked his question. "Aren't you eating?"

I stared at him, speechless for a right answer for once. Then Bella cut in. "She's anorexic!" she blurted out. I turned to give her a glare, but she quickly reached for her glass of water. "Gabe, tell them about your flight to America. I think we all need a funny story now," she said, averting my look.

I barely listened to his silly human story. Who cared if he was new to American land and had never been on a flight before? And who cared that a girl was stalking him in the plane? This was just so stupid and reckless, letting a human boy in the house.

"So, did you catch the game last night?" Emmett asked, raising an eyebrow at Gabriel.

Gabriel looked confused, and turned to Bella for help. "Game?" he asked.

"Seahawks," Bella filled him in. "Emmett's a big sports fan."

Emmett went on and on about the game, then grinned deviously at Bella and Gabriel. "About time someone scored around here, right?" he teased.

Bella spat out her drink, coughing as she turned red. I snickered at her reaction, then pulled on a poker face when Esme and Carlisle both glared at me.

The euphemism was lost on Gabriel, though. Either they don't joke about sex in France or he was just really innocent. I think it's the latter.

Emmett wasn't done being himself, though. "You know, one time, Rose and I were in Bermuda, right? There was this janitor's closet-"

Bella interrupted Emmett while I smacked him on the head. "How was that Spanish test?" Bella all but shouted. Gabriel jumped, startled by her loud voice. "I…Thought it was easy."

Gabriel frowned. "I didn't really understand the second half of the paper," he admitted.

Bella blushed. "Unless you thought it was difficult," she amended. "I guess Senora Goff could be quite tough if she wanted to be," she allowed.

Jasper chortled. "Yeah, that's why you got an A plus," he quipped. Bella threw him a glare, which of course didn't bother him at all.

By the time Bella and Gabriel were ready for dessert, my spaghetti was still more or less in my plate. I didn't want to eat any human food for a boy I didn't even care about. Besides, hadn't Alice said that this was temporary?

Esme practically ran to the kitchen, singing out "Crème brûlée!"

I sighed. When was this night going to be over? For that matter, when was Bella going to dump the human?

I knew we'd all said that she should have human experiences, but this was just ridiculous.

After dessert, Carlisle wanted us all to move back to the living room. He wanted to have a sit down and talk to Gabriel, since Bella had whisked him away when he first came in.

This elicited relief from all of us. Or maybe it was just Jasper's doing. Whatever it was, we were happy we didn't have to sit in the dining room, surrounded by disgusting human food, anymore.

I took a seat next to Emmett, and everyone else sat next to their loved ones. Bella was sitting in between Edward and Gabriel.

How ironic.

"So! Gabriel," Carlisle said, after a moment of awkward silence. "What are your plans?"

"Plans?" he repeated.

Carlisle nodded, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. "After high school. College? Or are you planning on just settling with a high school diploma-"

"Dad," Bella shook her head. I knew she was embarrassed. Carlisle was only asking because firstly, he wanted to know what kind of a boy Gabriel was and secondly, he was trying to make him squirm.

When Gabriel would go to college, Bella would be trying to control her bloodlust. There really would be no interaction between the two then.

"Medical school? Business school? Art school?"

Esme cut in as well. "How about some tea?"

Emmett clapped his hands together, and it sounded like thunder in the room. "Oh! How about the time," he snickered. "When Bella wanted to know where bab-"

"Okay!" Bella laughed, clapping a hand on Gabriel's back. "What do you say I'll just call you tomorrow?" she asked him.

I couldn't believe I was about to say this but poor kid. He looked so confused.

Edward crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Gabriel. "You know Australia's much better than America," he said stiffly. "Definitely more _adventurous _than Forks."

"Edward," Esme warned.

"You should ask your brother if you could tag along-" Edward's musings were interrupted when Jasper let out a bark of laughter.

"And then there was that one time when she wanted to ice skate," Jasper joined in Emmett's laughter. Alice started to giggle because of Jasper's gift. "So we took her to the rink, and she stepped on the ice and slid all the way across the rink…I swear!"

Bella was about as red as a tomato. She took Gabriel's hand and practically dragged him out the door. "Say goodbye Gabriel!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Goodbye Gabriel!" we chorused.

_Finally_, I thought to myself.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

Everyone had dispersed. Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Jasper were in their rooms. Esme was in the kitchen cleaning up and Carlisle was in his office.

I wanted to go to my Volvo and take my iPod. I had left it there this morning, and I needed it to download more songs.

I didn't want to go outside, though. Bella and Gabriel were standing by his Audi in the driveway, avoiding the silliness of the family. I didn't want to see them together.

Once tonight was enough for me.

I hadn't realized just how hard it was to see them together. There were doting eyes, hand holding and kisses on the cheek. I'd thought that was hell enough.

But when they had actually kissed each other? Full on the lips?

I hadn't even known they were doing that. I knew that kissing was something that was inevitable in an intimate relationship, I just…Never thought of that. Even when Emmett mentioned it, I blocked it out.

And then to catch them, locked in a passionate embrace…

I shook my head.

Alice should have told me that they were doing that now. She should have told me Gabriel was bold enough to do that with Bella. I would have killed him, sure, but it would be worth it.

_Edward, you have gone insane_, I told myself.

Unable to be patient any longer, I flung the door open and walked outside. Maybe if I moved at inhuman speed, I wouldn't see them.

"Well, it's getting late," I heard Bella said to Gabriel. "I should head in. Dimitri would be worried about you, as well."

I stepped around the garage door to see Bella and Gabriel holding hands by his car. They were saying their goodbyes for the night.

Gabriel moved in for a kiss goodnight. My eyes widened. I should really head inside now. This was something I did not need to see.

Bella was facing the garage door, and her eyes found mine. She looked shocked for a moment, then turned her head slightly to the side. Gabriel's lips found her cheek instead.

I ducked back into the garage and fumbled around for my iPod. "Uh…Sorry. I really should go back inside," I heard Bella stutter.

"Alright," the disappointment was evident in Gabriel's voice. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yes. Definitely."

I climbed inside my car and gripped the steering wheel with both hands, trying to calm myself down.

I heard Gabriel's Audi driving off, then Bella sighing as she head back inside.

She had refrained herself from kissing him when she saw me. What did that mean? Did she only did that because she knew I didn't quite care for Gabriel? Did she only moved her head at the last second because she was uncomfortable kissing her own boyfriend when someone else was nearby?

Or was it something else?

I groaned, letting my head flop on the steering wheel. I jumped slightly when the loud sound of the honk sounded.

I lifted my head and stared off into the distance.

I remembered the Reflection Pond. I remembered that night with perfect clarity. If I closed my eyes now, I would have replayed it so vividly in my head that it would be as if I was actually reliving it.

I clenched my jaw, my eyes fluttering open.

Bella had plenty of drawings of Reflection Pond. I didn't think she even realized how many of them were on her bulletin, and in her art folder. I knew. I examined them for hours when she was asleep.

I couldn't do this any longer. I couldn't wait around and watch her with someone else. I didn't care what Alice said.

It was time for me to take things into my own hands.

I would make Bella see that I was in love with her, that we were meant to be. I could only hope that she would accept me and not break my already dead heart.

I smiled to myself.

It was time for me to show Bella just how much I loved her.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Wow, that was a sucky chapter._

_Sorry that Edward's POV is so short. Next chapter will include lots more of him. Obviously.  
_

_Anyway, you know Bella. Guilt and insecurity had to be a factor in it somewhere. But the next chapter will be when she realizes she loves Edward and can't fight it anymore. Just like I promised._

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one is on the way soon…Thank you for reading and please review._

_P.S. Couldn't resist the GG references. I'm really sorry. I'm just in love with the show. Lorelai rocks._

_Juliet._


	36. Love Like This

_**A/N:**__ This is it, the chapters leading up to where Bella FINALLY realizes. It's a 3 parter, so bear with me. I hope you enjoy it._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all_

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

I frowned as I paced my room for the thousandth time tonight. I had been trying to brainstorm on how I should tell Bella that I was in love with her.

A note?

Flowers?

Chocolate, maybe?

No. None of these were good enough. They were too…Common. I had myself seen in the minds of plenty of men how they professed their undying love to the woman of their dreams. But none of their ideas suited Bella.

She needed more, she needed a battalion of wonderful things just so she could understand how much I loved her.

_Edward_, Esme's sweet voice called out to me through her mind. _Could you come down here for a moment?_

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Maybe I should take a break from brainstorming. It wasn't like I was having any progress, anyway.

I was in the living room within the blink of an eye. I looked around me expectantly. The entire family were there. I frowned. At night? Why would they all be here at night? Normally, they retreated into their respective rooms with their significant other.

Something was on their minds.

Esme smiled gently at me, and brushed my hair back from my face. "Have you decided on how to tell her, my son?" she asked.

"Nope!" Alice sang out.

I sighed heavily. "It will come to me," I said. "Hopefully."

Emmett snorted, pausing his video game. "Dude, quit stressing over this," he told me. "Just grab her and plant one on her."

Rosalie smacked the back of his head, a resounding thwack echoing around the room. "Don't help him with the hormones," she hissed. She turned to me. "Okay, I get that you're her one true love and all, but I'm not going to have any part getting my daughter together with a member of the male species."

I rolled my eyes. Now really wasn't the time for the absurdities of my family. Alice giggled as she saw the expression on my face. "It'll come to you, Edward," she said confidently. "I know it."

I shot her a grateful smile. Sometimes it was a good thing having Alice as my sister.

_In the meantime, the rest of us are going hunting_, Carlisle thought.

My eyes widened. "All of you?" I asked nervously.

Rosalie shot me a death glare. "It's not like I'm excited about leaving you alone with her, either, you know?" she snapped at me.

That really wasn't what I was talking about. I was still undecided on how to approach Bella on how I feel about her. I felt awkward around her. I was afraid that she would see through me and ask me what was wrong. What if I accidentally let it slip and she runs off, disgusted?

Jasper sent me an assuring wave of serenity. "Don't worry," he said. _She'll come to when it's time. You don't have to worry so much about it._

Rosalie was still unsure of leaving me alone with Bella. As if I would actually harm her in any way. She was my entire reason for existence. One bruise on her was enough to give me shocks of pain. Why would I hurt her?

"I mean, he's hormone-riddled, and all…"

If I could have blushed, I would have. I cringed at Rosalie's accusation. Jasper and Emmett snickered.

Esme hid her own laugh and gave Rosalie a reproving look. "You have to trust your own brother not to hurt our Bella, Rose," she said sternly.

Rosalie sighed, defeated. She stalked over to me, squaring her shoulders. She jabbed a finger at my chest. "If you hurt her in any way at all," she growled. "I will personally tear you limb from limb and throw you in the fire. Understood?"

I nodded my head, hiding my amusement out of respect. In all aspects, Bella was Rose's daughter. It wouldn't really bode well if I were to laugh at her while thinking of ways to impress her daughter. "Of course," I said politely.

I turned away as the others filed out of the house, leaving for their hunting trip. They were going to Canada this time for a long weekend hunting trip. They would come back on Sunday night for a baseball game. Alice had predicted a storm heading our way by seven Sunday night.

I tapped my chin, thinking. Maybe I should make Bella some breakfast. She would like that. We would have school today, though. I frowned, peering out the window. Alice had assured me the sun wouldn't make its appearance until the afternoon, so I could accompany Bella to school.

I cringed at the thought of Gabriel in school. I shuddered. Why on earth did he have to be there? Of course, it made Bella happy to have Gabriel around. And Alice and Jasper had told me plenty of times to be patient.

The thing was, my patience was running out. I had found out I was in love with Bella for a long time now. I wanted to be with her. I had to be with her.

It was driving me insane to have to pretend nothing was wrong every time I saw them together. A simple touch or a full blown kiss…I couldn't stand it.

I started to work on her breakfast. No matter what, this weekend would be the perfect time for me to impress her and confess my love to her.

And whatever her answer was, I just had to accept it. Even if it broke my heart.

I didn't exactly know what she wanted for breakfast, so I took out half of everything we had. I made waffles and pancakes and eggs…I'm sure there was something she'd like in there somewhere.

I heard Bella's heartbeat quicken as she woke up and made her way to the bathroom. I smiled to myself, finishing up on the eggs and placing them on a plate. I took out a carton of OJ and placed it on the counter.

Finally, Bella's footsteps neared the kitchen. "Mom? Dad? Everyone?" she called out, confused.

"In the dining room!" I called out.

Bella popped her head through the doorway and smiled when she saw me. She walked in, raising an eyebrow at the huge amount of food on the table. "Are we expecting a visit from the army?" she teased me, though a blush rose to her cheeks as she realized that I had made her breakfast.

I laughed easily and shook my head. "I didn't know what you would like for breakfast," I explained. "I made you a little of everything…Sit," I walked over to her and tugged at her hand, leading her to a chair. I sat next to her, just watching her eat.

Bella shot me an amused glance as she poured herself some juice. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.

I pretended to be puzzled by her question. "What makes you think they aren't here?" I asked innocently.

She snorted with laughter. "Edward, the house wouldn't be so quiet if they were," she pointed out, smiling widely that she had caught my lie.

I grinned at her, hope flaring up when her heart started to beat as fast as a marathon runner's. "Alright, you caught me," I admitted. "They went hunting. I've already went so I stayed behind."

She frowned all of a sudden and I felt my hope deflate. Did she not want me here? "To baby-sit me?" she asked sadly, a hint of frustration in her voice.

I bit my lip and looked away. "If you don't want me here…"

Bella placed the glass on the table and took my hand in hers. Her hand was colder than normal because she had just touched a glass of refrigerated juice. "No, that's not what I meant, Edward," she assured me softly. "I just hate it when they treat me like I'm a little kid. I'm growing up. I want to be treated as such."

I smiled at her, tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear. To my delight, she blushed a deep crimson because of this. "They're just protective of you. And so am I. But if it helps any, I'll treat you like the woman you are," I promised, leaning forward and pressing my cool lips softly on her cheek.

I pulled back slightly to look into her brown eyes, and smiled. Her heart was pounding so furiously, it was the only thing I could hear. I heard her breath hitch and brushed my hand against hers casually.

Bella cleared her throat, turning her head away. She transferred some waffles onto her plate and grabbed a bottle of syrup. "When will they be back then?" she asked.

I, too, leaned back into my chair. There was no need to rush this. I wanted things to be perfect with Bella and me. I wanted her to remember the day that she and I finally confess our love to one another.

That is, if she would confess her love at all. I had no idea how she would react to me. Alice had shown me her vision of Bella and I together, saying 'I love you' to the other, but would that happen in the near future?

Or would my heart break before it could merge with hers?

I sighed inwardly, troubled by my internal dilemma. "Sunday night. Alice saw a storm and Emmett wanted to play baseball. Will you come with us?" I asked her, curious. She had missed the last two games because of Gabriel.

Bella seemed to remember that, as well, because she winced. I rubbed her arm soothingly and she gave me a grateful smile. "Yes, of course," she replied. "I've missed the games," she added softly.

I leaned my hand on the table, resting my weight on my elbow and cradling my head in my palm as I watched her eat. "We've missed having you at the games," I countered honestly.

Bella looked down at her lap, her teeth attacking her lip furiously. "I'm sorry about that," she said quietly.

I reached out, tilting her head with my thumb and forefinger under her chin. I gave her a smile, which she returned tentatively. "It's alright, Bella," I soothed. "Just promise me you'll be around more?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "Of course. You know I've missed being with you," she blushed as she said this. I grinned. I had missed her, too.

I chanced a glance at my watch. "We really should be heading to school," I mused. It was already half past seven. We would be late if we stayed any longer.

Bella shook her head. "Let's skip today," she suggested, smiling deviously.

I rolled my eyes. Being close to Emmett really had corrupted her sweet, innocent mind. She was becoming more and more like him everyday. "Bella," I said warningly.

She shrugged. "Come on, Edward," she pleaded, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her chin on my shoulder. I turned my head so that I could see her face. She gave me one of her patented pouts that could put Alice to shame. "What's one day? We don't have any tests or anything…"

I hesitated. I didn't want Bella to get into any trouble.

"Please?" she breathed, her warm breath a pleasant breeze against my cool skin. "You skip all the time when it's sunny out. Can't I have just one day?"

I shot her a suspicious look. "Why the sudden urge to be rebellious?" I asked, curiosity lacing my voice.

Bella tried giving me an innocent look, but it was too ingenuous to be sincere. I smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. She sighed, resigned. "It's Mike," she admitted, her voice too soft for me to hear.

"Newton?" My brows furrowed. Had he done something to her? Had he hurt her? My fists clenched at the mere thought.

Since my hands were on her hips, Bella felt it. She looked up quickly, and shook her head. "No, Edward, it's nothing big," she amended.

I gave her a confused look. If it wasn't anything big, then why was she so reluctant to go to school?

She smiled sheepishly at me. "He's just really…Insistent," she told me embarrassedly. "Angela said that he was going to try something today. You know, ask me out…In front of everyone in the cafeteria during lunch," she flinched.

I laughed, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Bella scowled at me. "It's not funny, Edward. I really wouldn't like to be embarrassed in front of everyone!"

Of course, that only made me laugh harder. Bella huffed, averting her gaze from me. I controlled myself, although my smile remained intact on my face. I reached out and turned her to face me once more. "I guess we're skipping school today," I said decidedly.

Bella grinned at me. "Great!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping up. "What do you want to do?"

I thought for a moment. These past few months had been hard for me, since Bella spent more time with Gabriel than she did at home or with me. We had hardly gone to our meadow recently. I looked at her questioningly. "What do you say if I suggested we go to the meadow?" I inquired.

Bella gave me a dazzling smile and nodded her head. She held out her hand, which I took. "Let's go," she said cheerfully.

I gripped her hand tighter so that she wouldn't slip from my grasp and swung her over my shoulders. Like a routine, we began. She locked her long legs around my waist, her arms gripping my neck in a chokehold.

I laughed at her anxiety, even after all these years. "You'd better hold on tight, spider monkey," I teased, using the nickname I'd gotten used to calling her every time she climbed on my back.

I dashed out of the house at breakneck speed. Despite her occasional, irrational fears of hitting trees and whatnot, Bella actually loved being able to experience moving this fast. I knew because she said it once when she was sleeping. She found it exhilarating.

Within minutes, we were in the meadow. The sun was shining slightly, but there was enough overcast to hide the sparkles that would otherwise shine on my skin.

Bella sank to the ground, laying back on the grass. I followed suit, placing my arms behind my head, smiling up at the sky. Bella turned to me and smiled. "So talk," she demanded.

I laughed. She was the most absurd human I'd ever met. But then again, I knew that years ago when I'd told her my family and I were vampires and she'd said "okay".

"What do you want me to say?" I played along, turning to my side to face her. I propped myself up on my elbow, cradling my head in my hand. With my other hand, I played with a blade of grass, twirling it around a finger gently. It took a lot of years to do so, but I had learned how to control my strength enough.

Bella shrugged, her nose scrunching up in that adorable way of hers which meant she was thinking something through thoroughly. Her eyes lit up with amusement and she grinned at me. "How's dear old Jessica doing?" she asked with mock seriousness.

I scowled at her. "That is not funny," I said bitingly. "The girl is insane! She follows me around everywhere…You would think 'no' would give her a clue that I really have no interest in her, but of course the one human who would become infatuated with me had to be the clueless one," I ranted.

Bella laughed, shaking her head. "You know, it's kind of funny that you have a stalker," she snickered.

I glowered at her. "I suppose I could say the same thing about you and Newton," I pointed out. At this, Bella only laughed harder. "What?" I growled, irritated.

"At least he doesn't…" She was laughing too hard to speak, so I had to wait it out until her giggles somewhat subsided. "Wonder what I look like covered in nothing but whip cream."

She burst into laughter again while I cringed. How on earth did she know about that? I only knew because Emmett and I happened to be passing by when she and Lauren had been discussing the daydreams they had about me. Emmett had given me a hard time about it, never letting me forget-

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Emmett told you, didn't he?" I asked knowingly, anger bubbling to the surface.

Bella's hand flew to her mouth as she tried desperately to suppress an onslaught of giggles. It didn't work and soon enough, she had her head buried in my chest as her body shook with laughter.

I couldn't even stay angry at her when she was so close to me like this. Instead, I lowered my head and pressed my nose to her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of strawberries and freesia mixed together.

Finally, her amusement contained, she sobered up and looked up at me. I noticed that she didn't move from me. She rested her chin on my chest as her brown eyes sparkled, gazing at me. "Sorry," she said, her lips quirking into a smile. "I couldn't help myself."

I pretended to heave a heavy sigh. "It's alright," I said dramatically. "Just wait until Newton does something equally embarrassing to you," I added evilly.

Bella blinked at me, her mouth opened as she looked at me in terror. "You don't mean that, do you?" she asked nervously.

I laughed, amused. "Of course I do," I teased. "It's the Cullen way to humiliate one another." Bella groaned, dropping her head on my chest as she blushed. I smirked at her even though she couldn't see me. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on you," I quipped.

Bella shifted, moving back from me. I immediately felt the loss of her warmth, the comfort of her presence. She settled back into a supine position next to me, close enough for me to touch but far enough to drive me crazy.

"Gee, thanks," she said dryly, closing her eyes as the sun slowly begun to show itself.

******************************************************************************

When we reached the house, it was already five thirty. We had just talked the day away without even realizing it. We had gone back to our own little world, oblivious to the world around us. The sparkling sun, the darkening sky, the wind speeding up…None of those had any effect on us.

The thing that alerted me of the time was the grumbling of Bella's hungry stomach. She had blushed furiously, while I had been horrified of the time. I had kept her in the meadow the whole day, depriving her of her meal.

I reached around behind me and pulled Bella off of me. Setting her down on the floor, I scrutinized her. Was she very hungry? Did she feel faint from having missed a meal? I hoped she wasn't very angry with me.

As if knowing what I thought, as if she were the mind reader, Bella smiled reassuringly at me. "Edward," she chided gently. "I lost track of time, too, you know? Besides, a little hunger isn't something you should beat yourself up about. I can handle it. I'll just have dinner and I'm good to go."

I returned her smile, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Her entire face flamed up, and I chuckled. "What do you say you and I go out for dinner?" I suggested. "We could go to Port Angeles…"

Bella considered for a short second before nodding her head. "Sounds good. I need to get some new books anyway. Let me just change and I'll be right down," she said, turning around to head for the stairs. She tripped after taking her first step away from me, her foot getting caught on the carpet.

I rolled my eyes, catching her around the waist and setting her back on her feet. She blushed, and rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Thanks," she murmured, batting her lashes at me before going up the stairs.

I stood rooted to the spot, my mouth hanging open as I watched her leave. My eyes were fixed on the top of the stairs, even long after she had disappeared. Did she know she was being alluring or was it something that came naturally for her?

Shaking my head to clear it, I dashed up the stairs and changed at vampire speed. If I were to take her out, I wouldn't want grass stains on my shirt.

I went out of my room and bumped into Bella. She stumbled as she hit my granite body. I smiled, catching her before she hit the floor. "Really, Bella," I teased. "You're extremely lucky to have been found by vampires, the way you fall every two seconds."

Bella scowled at me, waving a set of keys in front of me. "Just for that, we're taking my McLaren…And _I'm _driving!" she said, moving over to the stairs.

Right, she was taking her car because I teased her. I shook my head, smiling, and followed her. Bella didn't take her car out to school all that often, so it wasn't really a surprise that she wanted to drive tonight.

It was true that the McLaren garnered a lot of attention. Whenever she drove it to school, it was almost impossible to avert the stares.

Bella hated it. Especially when the overly smug human males started to give her suggestive comments.

I hated it, too.

We went out into the garage. Bella slid excitedly into the front seat and I followed, slipping into the passenger seat. She slid the key into the ignition and the engine started with a purr. Bella smiled contentedly. "I've missed this," she cooed, running her hand proudly over the dashboard.

I rolled my eyes at her. "And to think, before you saw this car, you would have bitten off my head for even thinking of getting you a gift this extravagant," I pointed out dryly.

Bella lifted her shoulder and let it drop a moment later. "It was love at first sight," she said jovially.

She pulled out of the garage and soon we were off to Port Angeles. She drove at just above 100 - living with vampires could get a human used to speed. She was slower than me on my worst day, but at least it wasn't 50.

I fiddled with the knob on the radio. "You wanted to get some books?" I asked her, looking in the compartment for a CD. One of the good things about taking her car was that our music tastes were almost identical. Chances were, whatever I found in the car, I would like.

Bella nodded, eyes focused on the road. "Yeah," she replied distractedly. "I ran out of reading material."

I chuckled. "Only you, Bella, would live in the same house as Jasper and Carlisle and still be able to say that. Have you seen their libraries?"

Jasper had his own collection of books in his study, and Carlisle had his own in his office. It would be impossible for a human to run out of reading material.

I, on the other hand, was a vampire. Not only do I not have to endure sleeping - an inane task that was necessary for humans to survive - I could also absorb every single word in a book in less than fifteen minutes.

Bella glared playfully at me, before turning her eyes back to the road quickly. She was as much of a safe driver as Esme, who had never gone over the speed limit in her entire existence. "Hey," she said defensively. "A decade is more than enough time to finish reading their books."

"Of course," I said, still smiling.

When we reached Port Angeles, it was still quite early. Bella wanted to go to the bookstore before we headed over to dinner. I eyed her critically. "Are you sure, Bella? You did miss lunch…"

Bella sighed. "Edward," she said, turning another bend. "I'm fine. I took an apple before we left. Dinner can wait a few minutes."

I bit my lip, nodding my head slightly. She smiled at me, and got out of the car. "There's a music store a few blocks down…" I mused. "After we go to the bookstore, maybe we could go to the music store?"

Bella chuckled. "Edward, you don't have to baby-sit me all the time, you know," she winked. "You go ahead to the music store." She must have seen my reluctance, because she laughed. "You take hours to pick one CD, Edward. Go on. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

I nodded my head, but made sure that she had her cell phone. When she gave me a 'yes' with an irritated huff, I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Be careful, Isabella," I warned her.

She nodded and waved as she headed up the stairs to the bookstore. I watched her go inside, hearing the thoughts of the people nearby.

There was only the salesgirl inside the store, and no other customer other than Bella. The salesgirl didn't think of cults or sacrificing goats, though, so I figured it was safe. I watched the store for a few more seconds, smiling as I heard Bella ask where the Austen collection was.

I walked away from the bookstore, keeping an eye on Bella using the salesgirl's mind. I knew that Bella would probably be angry with me if she found out I was 'baby-sitting' her, but this wasn't a very populated area at night. I just wanted to keep her safe.

I stepped into the air-conditioned music store, the atmosphere in it hitting me like a blast. There were several different people in the quaint store, and their scents hit me like a ton of bricks. I held my breath for a few seconds, then slowly took in a breath. I smiled. My self-control was getting better by the second. This hardly affected me anymore. I was surrounded by humans all the time in school.

I walked over to the classical music section. I became so engrossed in the collection that I hadn't realized the time.

'_Goodbye. Come again soon!' She seems nice. Very interested in mythology…_

I glanced at my watch, startled. Bella was right. I'd been in the store for over an hour. Bella had already left the bookstore. I panicked, going from the salesgirl's mind to the mind of a thirty something businessman entering the store to the ones of the people Bella was passing by.

She looked happy, so I assumed she had gotten all, if not most, of the books she was looking for. She was carrying a heavy-looking plastic bag in one hand, the other holding her purse close to her body.

Suddenly her body shifted, her shoulders tense. Her movements grew quicker.

That was when I heard _them_.

_Oh, look. A poor little defenseless girl…How charming, running around by herself this time of night. I betcha she's a screamer._

I froze.

This vile human, with his disgusting, unfamiliar mind, wasn't a complete stranger to me. His kind were the exact ones I used to hunt.

_Ooh. Lonnie's going to just love her…_Another man's thoughts broke through the panicked haze in my mind.

There was more than one.

A flashback of Rosalie telling me her story flashed through my mind.

"_There they were. My supposed fiancé and his disgusting friends. They didn't care that I screamed, they didn't care that I was in pain, yelling for them to stop. I begged, Edward. But they did it to me, again and again, until I was sure I saw the light. I wanted nothing more than to die. The humiliation, the agony, the loss of my virtue…You said that the pain of the transformation was painful. You haven't felt pain. You think you lost your soul when you became a vampire. I lost my soul when they ravaged me."_

I let out an outraged growl, scaring the person next to me out of her wits. I didn't care. I ran out of the store as fast as I could without attracting attention. When I was out of sight, I used my vampire speed.

I was nearing her now. I could hear her heartbeat, practically feel it under my own skin. I could taste the scent of her.

I could also sense her fear.

So could Lonnie, the leader of this group of people who wanted to steal the soul of my Bella. I snarled as Lonnie touched her arm, laughing in his mind and out loud at the way Bella was shaking. I moved faster, pushing my legs to go further than they ever had.

Finally I reached her. I pushed her out of the way and she stumbled slightly. I crouched, tensed, as I stared down Lonnie and his friends.

_What's this? Her knight in shining armor?_

Lonnie was still trying to be brave, but he couldn't fool me. The fear was radiating off of him in waves.

_Oh, man. I knew we shouldn't have done this tonight. Too many people around!_

One of his companions was screaming in his mind.

"Let's go, man!" the other one said.

Lonnie ignored both his friends, attempting to scare me with his glare. "Shut up, Jeff!" he snapped, lunging at me.

I held him off with one hand around the neck. The other hand reached around and snapped his wrist. Lonnie howled in pain, but I didn't care. He deserved it for what he was attempting to do.

Jeff was trying to escape while the other companion was trying to help Lonnie. He came at me from the side, but I swept his legs from under him, tripping him, and stepped on his leg, breaking it from his knee down.

I swung Lonnie to the wall behind me then dumped his semi-conscious body on top of his friend.

Jeff was running away from me, but I was too fast for him. I moved at vampire speed, seeming to appear in front of him to his human eyes. I grabbed him by the neck. He started to claw at my hands, but it didn't faze me even a little. I squeezed until his air supply was cut off. I watched his eyes water, his face turning blue before my very eyes.

I felt a presence running at me from behind. The figure swayed from side to side, not entirely stable on his feet. I turned around, dropping Jeff to the ground. He was spluttering around too much to get up, wheezing as he sucked up the oxygen.

Lonnie had gotten up. He was trying to hit me, but I grabbed his hand before it made contact. Of course, he would have broken his hand if he'd made contact anyway. I twisted his arm into a bag angle, a sickening crunch making me smile. I threw a swift kick to his middle, hearing his ribs cracked as well.

Jeff was struggling to get up so I stepped on his legs, snapping the bones on each leg. He howled in pain.

But it wasn't enough.

These hooligans had been beaten up by me, but it was still not enough. I had to kill them. More than that, I _wanted _to.

I raised Lonnie from the ground by the scruff of his neck, glowering at him. He seemed to know, even in his pain, that I was about to finish him off. He started to tremble, his thoughts calling out to the God he hadn't believed in just five minutes ago.

I heard a sweet voice calling out to me. The voice of an angel. In my red haze, my mind couldn't identify it.

"Please, Edward!" the angel cried out.

I dropped Lonnie to the floor where he started to cry in agony.

"Bella!" I exclaimed, turning around to see her shaking, holding on to a lamppost. I rushed to her side, reaching her in the blink of an eye. "Did they hurt you?" I asked. I had seen their actions in their thoughts, of course. Lonnie had touched her arm. He'd slid a hand down her arm. But other than that, they hadn't done anything. They didn't have the time.

I gripped her to me, growling. I had almost lost her. I had almost seen her death. I couldn't lose her, not now, not ever.

Bella was still shaking. Understandably. She had just been attacked, for God's sake. "Please," she whispered. "Let's go. Please, Edward."

I pulled back to look into her fearful eyes. "Go wait in the car, Bella," I said firmly. I had to finish Lonnie and his friends off. I couldn't let them get away.

But I didn't want Bella to witness a murder, either.

I didn't know how long her innocence would hold. I didn't know how long until she saw a human getting killed, or if she would be the one doing the killing. I didn't know how either of us would react to her first hunt, or when she slipped for the first time.

I just wanted to retain her innocence for as long as I could. Watching me kill three humans wouldn't exactly be very innocent.

Bella shook her head frantically, gripping onto my shirt with as much force as her hands could handle. "Please," she said, tears welling up behind her eyes. "Just…Let's go, okay? I-I can't be here any longer," she nodded towards the pathetic human men behind me.

I ran my hand through her silky hair and sighed, nodding my head. "Fine," I said softly, not wanting to scare her any more than she already was.

I took her hand, swept the bag of books from the ground and walked her to the McLaren. I pulled her into the car, but I got her in the passenger seat. I was driving, no question.

We were both shaken up. Bella was in fear and I was simply too angry to stay focused. But all in all, I had better reflexes.

I started the engine and drove away from the bookstore, and away from Lonnie.

My hands gripped the steering wheel hard. I had to remind myself time and again to calm down slightly so that I didn't put a dent in the floor or pull the wheel off.

Bella's melodic voice filled my ears once more. "Edward?" she whispered, her voice husky. She cleared her throat. "Edward, are you alright?" she asked, sounding more like herself.

I barked out a humorless laugh. "Bella, you were the one who was attacked," I spat out angrily. How dare someone attacked her? What sort of a sick lunatic waited around in the shadows for a defenseless girl?

We reached the more populous part of the city. I parked in the shadows of some trees, needing the time to calm down before we move on ahead.

Bella reached out and rested her hand on my arm. It felt so good to have her soothing warmth. I closed my eyes, willing my anger to recede.

When I finally opened my eyes again, Bella smiled. "Better. But it's not quite the topaz I love," she said teasingly.

I cracked a small smile, then reached over to wipe at the corners of her wet eyes. "Bella," I whispered. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Bella nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine," she said, blushing at my concern. "You got to me just in time."

My fists clenched again, and she frowned. Lifting my marble hand off my lap, she kissed my knuckle gently. I felt my fist slowly unclenching.

I stared at Bella in shock. She had just kissed me. On my hand, but it was still a kiss. Maybe that didn't count…I didn't care. Her lips had felt so soft, so gentle against my own cold, hard skin. I wanted to feel it again.

I shook my head imperceptibly to clear it then bit my lip. "Bella, how can you be so calm?" I asked, confused. "You sounded so scared back there…"

She looked away. "I was scared," she admitted. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull her into my arms. "But you have to understand, I wasn't scared for me. I was scared for you."

I gaped at her. "For me!?" I exclaimed. Why on earth would she be scared for me? Nothing could have hurt me. She, on the other hand, was a complete danger magnet. She was, also, a fragile human. How could she sit here next to me, being so levelheaded, and tell me that she was afraid only for me?

Bella didn't look up to meet my eyes as she replied. "You worked really hard to be where you are now, Edward. I didn't want you to ruin it all in a matter of five minutes," she said quietly.

I made a face, disgusted. "I wouldn't have drank their blood," I said, shuddering just at the mere thought of it.

She nodded. "I know. But murder is still murder. You would have taken their lives…I know you wanted it, but you would feel the burden of it at some point. I didn't want you to go through that, all because I'm the all mighty danger magnet," she said the last part bitterly.

I cupped her cheek with one hand and gently tilted her face. I wanted to see her beautiful brown eyes clearly, and say it. "Bella," my voice sounded strained, even to my ears. "None of that was your fault…They were vile, disgusting monsters. If it weren't you, they would have done it to another girl."

Bella shuddered as she contemplated that possibility.

I sighed, dropping my hand. I was completely amazed by her confession. Shocked, of course, that she had even the courage to think of what killing those bastards might do to me in the future at a time so crucial. But amazed. She was truly self-sacrificing. If I hadn't learned that when she had given up her humanity for our lives, I knew that now.

"You should have let me killed them," I told her, anger still evident in my voice. "I still want to go back and-"

Bella's hand on the side of my face brought me back to reality. She tugged as hard as she could to get me to look at her. I finally allowed myself to look at her once more. "Edward, you're an amazing person," she informed me.

"You saved me, and not just tonight either. I won't let you bear the burden of killing someone again. Not after everything you've worked for. We'll deal with it the more human way - we'll call the cops. You left them pretty banged up. I'm sure they'll still be there when the police gets there," she said all this as though she was pleading with me.

I knew it scared her to think that I would fall off the wagon. She hadn't seen any of us slipping up, but she had seen how Jasper had reacted when he had almost attacked her after the incident in London.

He had seen how badly Rosalie felt when she had nearly gone for a human because she had gone so long without hunting.

She had seen the disgust I'd felt when I recounted stories of my rebellious years. She knew how much it would kill me to have killed another human.

But she was wrong.

I didn't regret killing any of the humans I did. I killed only the sinful ones, the ones like Lonnie. Yes, I realized it was wrong of me to take the role of God. I realized how wrong it was for me to decide who should live and who should die. But I didn't regret killing _them_. They would have hurt innocent people if they had continued living.

And killing Lonnie and the others wouldn't cause me grief at all. In fact, I would get a small amount of satisfaction from it, probably.

Bella blamed herself, though, for the trouble she thought she had caused. She had already placed the burden on her shoulders. If I went back to kill Lonnie, she would feel even more guilty.

I couldn't place that sort of weight on her shoulders.

So I nodded my head stiffly and went out of the car to find a pay phone so that I could make an anonymous phone call to the police.

After the call, where I had successfully disguised my voice, I slipped back into the car. I was about to just take Bella home when her stomach grumbled loudly.

Bella shot me a sheepish look, her face flushing. I chuckled slightly. "How about we get you some dinner?" I asked, already putting the car in drive.

She hadn't eaten a proper meal since breakfast and after an ordeal like that, she was surely even more hungry. Shock did that to people. I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

I pulled up in front of a place called La Bella Italia, parking in the lot in front of it. I took the keys, slipping it my pocket and was out of the car before Bella could even blink. She stepped out of the car, and smiled at me.

I reached out and took her hand which she, surprisingly, didn't take back. I opened the door to the restaurant, and gestured for her to enter first. Bella giggled at my action, and stepped inside. I smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Hello," I said absentmindedly to the hostess. "I would like a table for two, please."

_My God, that voice…_The hostess looked up and her eyes widened as she saw me. _Oh, wow. Is that the most good looking guy I have ever seen or what!? I've got to tell Suzie. Better yet, I've got to ask him out!_

I expected Bella to start laughing, or nudge my ribs gently - so as not to hurt herself - and wink playfully just to annoy me because I could read the hostess mind when she was so clearly infatuated with me.

When I looked at Bella, though, she was glaring at the hostess, shooting daggers with her brown eyes. She reached up to grip my hand that was dangling from around her shoulder. I raised my eyebrow. Why was she acting like that? What had gotten into her?

_Possessive much?_ The hostess was thinking, as she contemplated Bella's reaction to her. _Well, there goes my hopes of her being his sister…My God the way he looks at her. Hmm. Maybe I should just flirt a little. It couldn't hurt. If I give him my full attention he'll dump Plain Jane over there and come to me, no doubt._

I struggled not to wrinkle my nose in disgust at her thoughts, then looked at Bella in surprise. Possessive? Was that how she was reacting? She was…Jealous?

The thought brought a smile to my face.

I leaned down, just for the fun of it, and pressed my lips to Bella's cheek. She tore her gaze away from the hostess to look at me, blushing fiercely.

The hostess was both touched by my sweetness, and jealous of Bella at the same time. She brought us to a table in the center of the room, but I shook my head. "Something a little more private, please," I said pleasantly, slipping her a hundred dollar bill.

She blinked at me, surprised, then shrugged. She led us away to a more private booth, and I smiled my gratitude. With a flirtatious wink, she headed back to the front of the restaurant. I suppressed a shudder, and tuned out her illicit thoughts.

I turned to face Bella as she sat next to me at the booth. She had her arms folded across her chest, glaring at the empty space in front of her. I chuckled. If she really was jealous, it was adorable.

She turned her angry eyes at me. "What?" she demanded, miffed.

I shrugged. "It's nothing, Bella," I said softly, brushing her hair back with my fingers. She blinked up at me, and I leaned in closer just to flash her a wide smile.

Bella's eyes widened slightly, glazing over. Then a goofy grin broke out on her lips, and she batted her eyes at me, a delicious blush spreading across her creamy skin.

"Hello," a deep voice greeted us. I looked over, annoyed, to see a boy about seventeen years old, holding two menus in his hands. Our server. The hormonal teenage boy who was eyeing Bella appreciatively.

Bella wasn't all that oblivious to the way his eyes raked over her, because she blushed, ducking her head. The server found this adorable.

_Man, she's so hot! I wonder if Fabio over there is her boyfriend. I'd have no chance if he were… No, Danny, remember what the therapist said. Confidence, not self-doubt. Just ask her out. Once her boyfriend wasn't anywhere near her, of course. The dude looks like he's about to blow up!_

He handed us our menus, and I snatched mine from his hand quickly. The server's eyes widened. "H-hi," he stuttered. "I'm Danny, and I will be your server tonight. Could I get you folks anything to drink?"

I glared at him for a second longer, then turned to Bella. She cleared her throat, embarrassed that both Danny and I were looking at her. "I'll have a coke?" she said, her statement coming out sounding like a question more than anything.

"Nothing for me," I said coldly.

Danny seemed to catch on to the fact that I knew he was ogling Bella. He left soon after, but not without giving Bella a wide smile. She, of course, blushed which made him think that she liked him.

I was still glaring after him as he left. I turned back to Bella only to find her smiling amusedly at me.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

The hostess was giving Edward these flirtatious winks and little waves of her fingers. Disgusting. I glared at her long and hard until she backed off. She left Edward and I be, but not before she gave another flirty wink of course.

I crossed my arms across my chest, and huffed. That hostess was so…Indecent! For all she knew, Edward was my boyfriend. I mean, not that he was…He was just a friend. Best friend. Possible soul mate, but not boyfriend.

The hostess didn't know that, though. Here I was sitting next to someone who was probably my boyfriend and she was just winking and flirting like there was no tomorrow.

How _disgusting_!

When I heard Edward laughing quietly to himself, I turned to glare at him. "What?" I spat out, daring him to say something to anger me more.

Instead, he just smiled. He reached out and brushed away a strand of my hair from my face. "It's nothing, Bella," he said softly. His velvet voice sent shivers running down my spine.

Edward leaned forward and flashed me his crooked smile. I felt my breath hitch as I stared at his flawless smile and his sparkling topaz eyes. I could feel the familiar blush creeping on my cheeks as I gave him a goofy grin in return.

"Hello," I heard someone say. I looked up, annoyed that someone else was interrupting us. I caught myself. _Interrupting us? God, stop thinking so…Hormonally, Bella._

A boy who looked to be around my age stood in front of our table, a couple of menus in his hand. He glanced at Edward, then looked at me. His eyes raked over me - or whatever he could see of me, anyway.

I felt a blush at having someone paying attention to me. The boy smiled widely, handing the menus over. Edward snatched the menus before I had even lifted my hand.

"Hi," the boy said. "My name is Danny and I will be your server tonight. Could I get you folks anything to drink?"

He barely looked at Edward, but Edward looked like he was ready to snap Danny's throat. Edward turned to me, signaling me to give my order. "I'll have a coke?" I said, my order coming out as a question. I had a habit to have everything I said turning into a question whenever I was nervous.

Edward waved Danny off, not ordering anything for himself. Danny gave me an appreciative smile and I blushed for getting such attention.

Edward glared at Danny until he left. He growled at the retreating back of our server, and shook my head, amused.

When he turned to look at me, I snickered. "A little more humane, Edward," I said, referring to his growl. "That's what we're going for."

Edward scowled at me. When Danny came back with my coke, Edward was still looking ready to kill. I quickly ordered a mushroom ravioli, very much aware of how ridiculous it looked that I was the only one eating and drinking.

Danny came by every five minutes to 'check if we needed anything else'. Edward finally had enough and told him to just leave until he called for the check.

When I was done, Edward practically begging me to eat faster, in his 1900s gentleman way of course, he called for the check. The hostess came by with the bill. I saw Edward shift uncomfortably as he slipped in the money and slammed the bill on the table quickly.

He took my hand and we went out of the door as fast as we could without actually running. Once we were by the car, we turned to look at one another and burst out laughing. That had to be the funniest dinner I had ever had.

We slid into the car and I took the wheel again. I sighed, contented, as I drove off in my McLaren. Edward, sensing my happiness, laughed, shaking his head. He reached out and turned on the radio. After a few stations, he grumbled. Taking out a CD from a compartment, he put it on.

I smiled as Debussy filled the car. The third song would be Clair de Lune. I exchanged a grin with Edward then focused on the road, a comfortable silence filling the space between us for the rest of the ride home.

When I parked in the garage, Edward took my bag of books from the backseat. He offered to carry it inside. I protested, saying that I could very well carry my own shopping bag. He ignored my protests and I didn't actually mind it.

The answering machine had a green light blinking so I pushed the button to hear the messages we'd gotten.

The first was from Rosalie. "Isabella Marie Hale! Why aren't you answering your phone? Alice had a vision of some meat sacks attacking you. Where the hell are you? I've been calling for God only knows how long! Call me this instant!"

I flinched, diving for my bag. I had forgotten all about my phone.

Apparently, so hard Edward because the second message was from Rosalie, as well, but for him. "Edward Cullen! Where's my daughter! I asked you to protect her for one lousy weekend and already you've messed up. It's not even Saturday yet!"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

Edward had a pained look on his face, though, so I walked over to him, placing my hand on his cheek, shaking my head. I didn't want him to blame himself. It wasn't his fault in any way. He _saved _me, he was my hero. Not the cause for my little run in with trouble.

That was _my _fault, as resident danger magnet.

The final message was from Gabriel.

"Bella," his voice interrupted my time with Edward.

I withdrew my hand from Edward's cheek awkwardly. It felt strange touching Edward or being near him at all when Gabriel was mentioned.

I stared at the answering machine, unsure if I should continue listening, stop the message or delete it. "I called you, but you didn't pick up…I was just worried you didn't come to school today. I hope everything's alright. Call me if you get the chance."

I opened my phone and, sure enough, there were missed calls and text messages from Gabriel. I had forgotten all about him, for the entire day. How was that even possible? He was my boyfriend! I should have thought of him all day, wasn't I?

Look at Alice and Rose. They think of Jazz and Em all the time. Even when Alice was shopping, she would pick out certain things she knew Jazz would like. And when Rose was fixing up cars, she'd tell me stories of the romantic things Emmett sometimes did for her over the years.

Why wasn't I like that with Gabriel? I had to be the worst girlfriend ever to have actually forgotten about him for an entire day.

I pressed his number on speed dial, and waited for him to pick up. "Gabriel?" I asked. I turned around to leave the room, not wanting to talk to him with Edward in the same room. It was just plain uncomfortable.

Gabriel's voice sounded happy on the other end. I wished I felt the same way. "Bella!" he cried. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

I bit my lip guiltily. "Yeah. Sorry about that, Gabe. I…It was a last minute thing, some family bonding time, you know?" There was absolutely no need to mention that the only one I was spending time with was Edward. Besides, it wasn't a significant detail anyway.

I talked to him a little. Gabriel said that he sat with Angela and Ben - her crush - at lunch, while Lauren tried to make her move on him again. I rolled my eyes. She was too insistent for her own good.

I stretched my arms over my head and suppressed a yawn. "Gabe, I'm really tired. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" I said goodnight and turned off my phone. I stared at it for a really long time, unsure of what to do.

"You should probably call Rose," Edward called out quietly. I jumped and turned around to see him standing at the foot of the stairs. His face was a blank mask, but I blushed anyway. His presence alone was enough to get me to do that.

I nodded my head, as if agreeing with his suggestion. "Right," I said, laughing nervously. "I'll do that…Well, goodnight, Edward."

He gave me a half smile, but it was still enough to take my breath away. I smiled back hesitantly. When I passed him on the stairs, Edward stopped me to kiss my cheek. "Goodnight, Bella," he said softly, his sweet breath caressing my face.

I made it to my room without tripping and called Rose on the phone. Alice had already assured her that nothing was wrong with me, and Edward had called her the moment he heard the message, but she still wanted to hear my voice.

I told her not to worry since Edward was with me and to enjoy hunting. It was only a two days away before she would see me again.

I showered and change into a pair of boy shorts and a Smurf t-shirt. I climbed into bed, sighing as the soft sheets relaxed my tensed muscles. I closed my eyes, expecting dreams of my wonderfully sweet French boyfriend to come to me.

But, as usual, Edward's beautiful face and crooked smile floated in my mind. And, as usual, he was telling me how much he loved me.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Okay, that was just a really long chapter._

_The other two chapters have already been written, but I won't post them until this one gets 100 reviews. I'm really sorry to demand it like that but I want to know what you think. It's not too sudden, is it?? Their attraction? Bella has already somewhat come to terms with the fact that she loves Edward. Along with emotional epiphany, she has to have physical attraction to him as well. Next one coming right up...Just remember what I asked. Please and thank you.  
_

_Happy reading and please review._

_Thank you!_

_Juliet._


	37. Interruptions

_**A/N:**__ A continuation of the previous chapter. I told you it's a long one. Now it's the last day of Bella and Edward's weekend alone together. No actual kissage and all, because they're not a real couple, but I think you'll like the ending._

_P.S. Why does everyone think Edward would mess it up?? LOL. It's shaky, especially in the last chapter, this one and the next one, but they're pretty much ready to go for it._

_BTW, Some wondered why this isn't the dance chapter. Actually, it is. LOL. I wrote chapter 33, 34 and 35 as 1 chapter, but it was like 50 pages long so I had to cut it into 3 parts. I'm really sorry. I tend to write very long chapters, so that was the result. This and 35 up by Dec. 29 so no worries._

_**Disclaimer: **__SM owns it all_

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I heard someone calling my name, but my mind was too tired as was my body. I mumbled something that even I couldn't understand and went back to sleep.

Not two seconds later, I heard laughter. I cracked one eye open and stared sullenly at the person who interrupted my sleep. "What?" I asked blearily.

He grinned at me, his dazzling crooked smile sending my heart into a frenzy. "You just told me to bite you," he chuckled.

I groaned, rolling over and sticking my head under my pillow. "This is way too early for vampire jokes," I mumbled into the mattress.

Before I knew it, he had thrown my pillow across the room and spun me around. I rubbed my eyes as I looked at him hovering over me. My breath hitched as I remembered the last time he had been that close to me - when we had kissed at Reflection Pond.

I shook that thought out of my head and settled for being sarcastic. "Edward, what did the pillow ever do to you?" I said dryly, reaching for another soft pillow.

Edward grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me into a sitting position. "Come on, Bella," he said excitedly. I gave up on going back to sleep and shook my head at him.

Why on earth was Edward excited? The fact that he was acting like Emmett on Christmas morning made it all the more weirder. This was the cool, collected guy we're talking about here.

"We've got the whole day ahead of us," he smiled at me. "What do you want to do?"

I rolled my eyes. "What I want is to get more shut eye," I grumbled. At this pleading expression, I sighed. I looked out my window. It was a good day - a rare sunny day. We couldn't go out because Edward was sure to sparkle in such bright daylight.

I thought about it and grinned. Edward and I hadn't swam together for quite some time now. The last time we had swam together…

I bit my lip. Why was I thinking too much of Reflection Pond? Was I going crazy or was it just because it was too early for my brain to function properly?

No, swimming had nothing to do with kissing Edward. The sooner we went for a swim, the sooner I'd see that.

So I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "How about a swim?"

His answering smile was so blindingly amazing, I think I stopped breathing for a moment.

I went into my bathroom. Edward said he would be making breakfast. I didn't want him to make enough to feed twenty, so I told him I wanted pancakes so he would just make those.

I closed the door behind me in the bathroom and went to the sink. Untangling my hair, I washed my face and brushed my teeth thoroughly. I shrugged out of my clothes and stepped into the shower.

I sighed as the warm water caressed my skin.

The truth was, I was nervous to be alone with Edward. Yesterday had felt like an emotional roller coaster. My exhaustion had nothing to do with the fact that I had been attacked. _That _I could easily block from my mind.

I was more stressed out over having Edward so close to me. As if that wasn't enough, I stressed out over being stressed out at having Edward so close to me. I didn't even know if that was English, but I knew that made sense nonetheless.

What sort of a person was I if I could spend an entire day with a boy and not remember my boyfriend at all?

Edward wasn't a boy, though. He was a real man. He was strong, and courteous, and gentlemanly and wonderful and beautiful. He took my breath away just by being in the same room.

The fact that I was so in tuned with his mind made me all the more…Attracted to him, I guessed you could say. There really wasn't a word for what I felt for him. At least, none that I could find.

I felt something cold trickling down my back and gasped. I blinked, looking at the showerhead. I had been standing in the shower for so long, the hot water had run out. I frowned at myself, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower.

What on earth was wrong with me?

I wrapped a towel around myself and went into my room. I took out a blue bikini set Alice had gotten for me, and slipped them on. I put on a pair of boy shorts and a t-shirt on top so that I wouldn't be running around the house in my bikini.

I didn't bother drying my hair because we would be going into the pool after my breakfast anyway.

Stepping into the dining room, I was greeted with the delicious smell of pancakes and maple syrup. Edward was sitting in the chair he had sat in yesterday. I smiled at him and took my seat next to him. "You didn't have to make me breakfast, you know?" I told him reaching for my juice.

He smiled. "I wanted to," he said, his velvet voice sincere.

I was eager to get to the swimming pool. Ever since Edward, Emmett and Jasper had taught me how to swim all those years ago, I had gotten quite addicted to it. Rosalie had to constantly tell me to get out of the water or I'd end up looking like a prune for a night.

Once I was done with my breakfast, I grabbed my empty plate and glass, loaded them into the dishwasher and tugged at Edward's hand all the way to the indoor pool.

He chuckled at my enthusiasm. "Bella, the world wouldn't end if you slow down a little," he teased me with mock severity.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Coming from the guy who wouldn't drive slower than a hundred and twenty," I quipped, grinning because I could already imagine swimming around.

The pool wasn't as amazing as the waterfalls Jasper found while he was hunting, but it would do…Maybe I could convince Edward to take me there later. He probably wouldn't since the others were hunting near there, but it would be worth a shot.

I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it up over my head. I slipped my boy shorts down my legs and kicked my clothes aside. I turned around to jump into the pool, but I was met with Edward's chest instead.

I looked up into his eyes to find that his beautiful topaz orbs were smoldering. I gasped as I realized just how closely he and I were standing. My eyes glazed over as his hands worked their way slowly down his shirt, flicking at the buttons. He shrugged out of his long sleeved shirt and his pants.

I took in a deep breath, my oxygen mixed in with a dose of Edward. I smiled, a little shakily, at him, and took his hand in mine. He returned my smile, but his was completely confident.

I felt a little self-conscious standing in front of him with so little on. He looked like the very image of perfection. I looked so ordinary next to him.

I studied his chiseled chest, his marble arms, his pale skin…My eyes trailed upward to meet his smoldering eyes. They burned into me, making me blush.

Edward and I ran forward and jumped into the pool. I swam to the very bottom then resurfaced, wiping the water from my eyes. Edward was right in front of me, smiling. His bronze hair looked darker because it was so wet.

Just like old times, we had a competition to see who was faster - using human speed, of course. We swam around each other and had a water fight, splashing each other. Emmett had had a volleyball net installed, so we played, Edward against me.

It was so much fun to be like this with him again - when he didn't cheat and use vampire speed and strength, of course. Honestly, did he have to win _every _game?

It was so easy to slip back into Edward and Bella, no reservations, no complications, no interferences. Just Edward and Bella. Just us.

I laughed as Edward tackled me. I made sure to take in a huge breath before he brought me down underwater. He held me there playfully for a few minutes then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up to the surface.

I gasped, taking in as much oxygen as I could. Truly, he was being ridiculous! Holding me underwater while I was trying not to burst into laughter! Of course, he would never hurt me, so I wasn't worried about that.

But my sides hurt as I took one look at the impish grin on his face and started to giggle uncontrollably.

He could be an immature boy when he let loose and just had fun. That was what I loved about him. That he could be a real man but still be playful when I needed him to be.

I stopped laughing immediately. _Loved _about him? Surely I meant 'loved' as in 'loved my best friend', right?

I felt the water move beneath me as Edward walked me backwards. I felt my back being pressed against the cool tile of the side of the pool.

Had he always been this beautiful? Yes, he had, but I'd just never seen him in this light…

Edward. My Edward. It sounded right.

I untangled my arms from around his neck, and ran my hands down his arms. Edward shivered, closing his eyes. He stepped closer to me, though, so I didn't think I was doing anything wrong.

Wrong. It depended on what you meant by the word. 'Wrong' as in morally abhorrent, or 'wrong' as in 'this felt right'.

I placed a trembling hand on his pale chest, watching in fascination the sparkling diamonds dancing on his skin. I brushed at the hard skin, wiping away the water as if they were blocking my view of his perfectly sculptured body.

Edward opened his eyes and I gasped. His eyes weren't just topaz any longer. They had darkened considerably, but they weren't exactly black either. They were the most brilliant shade of dark gold I had ever seen.

His cool hand ran up the length of my bare back as he pushed us closer together. Our heaving chests were pressed against each other. I bit my lip, my eyes snapping shut of its own accord at the sensation of his skin on mine.

He leaned down and ran his nose along my jaw line. He was taking in my scent, hearing my heartbeat, feeling the blood rushing to my face.

One of his arms unwound from my waist and I opened my eyes, silently begging him not to leave me, not to stop touching me.

If I could have thought clearly, I would be ashamed of my actions. I would be too embarrassed to ever look at Edward in the eyes.

But I wasn't thinking clearly. The unbearably sweet scent coming off of him was overtaking my senses, fogging up my brain. His cool touch was driving me up the wall. His intoxicating, sweet breath was blowing on my face as he breathed in and out heavily.

His free hand came up to my throat. My breath hitched as he brushed the wet strands of hair stuck to my neck, leaving my skin there completely bare.

Edward looked me in the eyes, then, his blazing eyes pleading with me. "Bella," he whispered, a silent plea.

My arms wound around his waist, an unspoken consent.

"Bella," he breathed my name again, as he bent his head, lifting me off the floor of the pool and pressing me harder against the side of the pool. It didn't hurt, though.

And even if it did, I barely noticed, because Edward's lips were pressed to my neck. His mouth sucked gently on the skin, causing my eyes to roll back into my head. I gasped when I felt his cold tongue pressing against my overheated throat, drawing circles on the skin.

The lust was taking over. I had never felt anything like it before. My feelings for Edward was mixed with desire until it became so strong that I felt so overwhelmed. Truthfully, I was scared. The emotions running through me were so…Immense.

But I didn't want to stop. The rational part of me told me to step back, but I couldn't. It felt like I had waited so long for this, for _him_.

"Edward," I whispered, my voice unable to come out any louder.

He pulled back from my throat and I groaned, clawing at his back to pull him closer to me. His lips left a burning trail as they kissed every inch of my neck up to my jaw. His butterfly kisses led up to my lips, and my eyes fluttered close, waiting in anticipation.

A shrill sound from the house echoed around the room, making the both of us jump. I pushed away from Edward. Even though I would have never broken away from his grasp using my own strength, he let me go. His eyes were unreadable as they gazed into mine.

The telephone was still ringing, so I turned around and climbed out of the pool. My legs were so shaky I felt as though I would collapse at any given moment. I reached for a spare towel Esme made sure to keep on a rack by the pool, I wrapped it around my body.

When I turned back around, Edward was still in the pool but he was facing away from me. I opened my mouth to say something, but no word could come out of my mouth.

I bit my lip and went out of the room, still too dazed to really see what was in front of me. I passed two phones before stopping in the living room. I grabbed the cordless and pressed the button.

"H-hello?" I spoke shakily. I cleared my throat so that the person at the other end wouldn't notice that something wasn't quite right.

The voice at the other end made me roll my eyes. "Hey, Bella!" Mike Newton exclaimed. "How are you doing?"

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His voice took on a pitying note as he asked me that question. "Um…Fine. Why?" I asked, bewildered.

"You weren't in school yesterday," he explained. He had thought that I was sick. With my entire family?

Well, to be fair, there had been a few sunny days before and the rest of the family usually stayed home but I usually went to school without them on those days. Carlisle wouldn't let me play hooky. He'd said that it was because the others had been through high school plenty of times before and I needed to maintain my GPA.

I nodded my head before remembering that he couldn't see me. "Yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to stay home with the family for once, you know?" I laughed awkwardly.

I had wanted to stay home with Edward. The memory of our little…Encounter in the pool lingered in my mind. We hadn't actually kissed on the mouth, not since that first time.

Was that supposed to be a good thing? Did that mean I didn't cheat on Gabriel? Did that mean I was supposed to be guilt-free?

I sighed a little. Even I knew it didn't work that way.

Mike laughed along with me even though he had no idea why. "Listen, Bella," he said suddenly. I tensed up. Angela had sent me a text message last night saying that Mike might find new ways to ask me out because he had sounded so determined yesterday.

I realized that Mike had been talking for some time but I hadn't been paying attention. I asked him to repeat what he'd been saying. "I wanted to know if you, uh, would want to go out. On a date. You know, with me. Mike," he stuttered.

I fought the urge to laugh. Poor guy. I had never asked anyone out before and I highly doubted I would, but he made it sound so painful. "Sorry, Mike, I really can't," I said apologetically.

Mike was actually a good guy. I mean, he was a little hormonal but I supposed teenage boys were like that. He _did _offer me a place at his table during lunch whenever my family weren't there. Normally I just sat with Gabriel, Angela and Ben, but it was nice of him to offer, anyway.

Something struck me as odd. I had never given him my house number. I had never even given him my cell phone number. We weren't even listed. So how had he gotten my number?

I frowned confusedly. "Mike? How did you get my number?"

He laughed a little nervously. "Uh…I might have asked Angela," he admitted.

I narrowed my eyes. Angela would have never given him my number, no matter how many times he'd asked her. She was true to her word - I had learned that in the short amount of time we had gotten reacquainted.

"And she just gave it to you?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Well, by 'asked', I might have meant 'taken her phone without permission and gotten your number off her contact list'," he said sheepishly. I gasped, blinking furiously at how absurdly he had acted. "Oh, don't worry," he added quickly. "I gave her back her phone."

I snorted quietly. As if that changed anything. "Right," I said slowly, turning around and shaking my head.

I froze as I saw Edward standing a few feet away from me. He had a simple towel wrapped around his waist, his clothes in one hand. He wasn't moving an inch as he looked at me unabashedly.

I, on the other hand, blushed furiously.

Mike was still saying something on the line. "…This Friday…Dance…"

But I wasn't listening to Mike.

I was too caught up in Edward's beauty, his grace, his…Presence. I felt the connection to him even standing so far apart.

I wanted to throw myself at him, wrap my arms around his neck and have him kiss me like he had in Alaska, like he had in the pool. Only longer. I never wanted him to stop touching me.

I couldn't, though. It wasn't right.

I was with Gabriel. I wasn't a dishonest girl. I couldn't be. And while I knew for sure now that I needed to end things with Gabriel, I couldn't just go around acting on what I desired.

Especially when what I desired was the vampire I couldn't have.

Realizing that the phone was still in my hand, I spoke into it. "I…Have to go. Bye!" I hung up quickly and placed the cordless back on the table.

Edward and I continued staring at each other. I don't think either one of us was breathing. He might not need it, but I did. I took in a haggard breath, and tried to remember to keep breathing.

Edward took a step forward, and my heart pounded faster. "Bella," he called out. Why did my name sound different when he said it? It sounded better. Prettier. He dropped his clothes on the floor, and stepped closer to me.

He closed the gap between us in a matter of seconds. He cradled my head in his hands, his thumbs brushing my cheeks in a repetitive manner.

I struggled to regain a semblance of control. "Edward," I choked out. "What we did…That was wrong," I said, pain shooting through my heart as I said this.

Edward's beautiful face contorted in hurt and confusion as he slowly released me. I shook my head, stepping closer to him and taking his hands in mine. "No, don't," I whispered, my eyes watering.

I was so confused. What was happening to us? What did I feel for him? Did I love him? Was I in love with him? Did he feel the same way about me? It was just a lot to handle.

I took in a calming breath and continued. "I'm…I need time. I don't understand anything," I said, my voice breaking as I said it. So much for control.

Edward hesitated then smiled gently down at me. "Bella, you'll understand everything in time," he said softly. "I know it. Just promise me you won't run from me?" he pleaded. "Promise me you'll stay with me?"

I stared at him in shock. How could he even think that I would do something like that? How could he think that I could actually up and leave him?

Just the mere thought of being away from him, not seeing him everyday, not hearing his voice or arguing over music or annoying him by singing Sugababes' songs for three hours straight…It caused me physical pain. Just the thought only.

How could he think that I would go through with it? That I _wanted _to go through with it?

I smiled and nodded my head. "Okay," I bit my lip nervously. "I promise."

******************************************************************************

I took the mac and cheese out of the oven and placed it on the counter. I had popcorn, mac and cheese, soda and Oreos. I was ready.

Edward and I had decided to have a movie marathon for the rest of the day. I hadn't had the time to watch my favorite films recently because I'd been so busy with schoolwork.

I took some of the mac and cheese and placed it on a plate. Balancing everything in my hands, I made my way to the living room.

Edward had already placed a soft mat and throw pillows on the floor - something Alice had gotten us all used to whenever we watched movies. He had also taken out my favorite movies from the extensive collection of DVDs we owned and placed them on the floor next to the mat.

He chuckled when he saw me balancing everything at once. "Don't hurt yourself, Bella," he teased, reaching out and helping me.

I scowled playfully at him and plopped down on the mat next to him, rolling over onto my stomach. I placed the plate of mac and cheese in front of me and speared a few with my fork. "What should we watch first?" I asked Edward.

He gestured towards the DVDs in front of us. "These are your favorites," he smiled. "You choose."

I picked the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet first. Edward rolled his eyes.

Rose, Alice and I had watched that movie only because Leonardo DiCaprio was in it and he was too cute. Alice had gushed about his appearance in that movie too much for me to ignore. I actually found it intriguing because of how the setting was modern and the dialogue was more or less the original.

Edward sighed as he put in the DVD. I knew it had nothing to do with Leonardo DiCaprio. He despised the story of Romeo and Juliet. He really felt that it was idiotic.

"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene…"

And right on cue, he shot me a look. "I don't understand why you even like this story," he said in disgust. "Romeo was completely clueless, not to mention less than a man. He should have stood his ground and fought for his love."

I rolled my eyes at him. "He would have ended up getting them both killed," I pointed out.

He snorted. "They both killed themselves in the end, Bella. If he wanted to leave, at the very least he could have concocted a better plan and take Juliet with him. How could he just leave his wife behind?" he shook his head.

I ignored his jests and went back to watching the movie. Edward would be Edward, no matter what.

The truth was, I had always fantasized about Romeo. What girl hadn't? If only we were so lucky as Juliet to have her prince just show up at her balcony and sweep her off her feet…

But secretly, I had to admit. If Edward were Romeo, he would be a lot more romantic than anything Shakespeare could ever come out with. And honestly, Edward put Leo to shame.

I caught myself, blushing as I buried my face in the throw pillow I was currently hugging. I had lost my mind! That was the only explanation for replacing Leo with Edward in Romeo's scenes.

We were at the last few minutes of the movie, when Romeo had bought the poison to kill himself after learning of Juliet's 'death'. Edward turned to me and said, "I do understand his perspective at this point, though."

My brows furrowed as I tried to understand what he was saying. "What do you mean?" I asked, reaching out to grab a handful of popcorn.

"Juliet was his soul mate, his reason for living. Romeo might be flaky, but I understand. If my soul mate were gone from this world, I wouldn't want to be in it, either," he elaborated.

I felt a shudder run through my spine as I heard his words. I kept repeating them over and over in my head, all the while remembering what Jasper had said about Edward and I being soul mates.

I narrowed my eyes at Edward. Had he known that Jasper called us soul mates? Did he feel that way? Did he know?

I turned my attention back on the screen, wanting to see the part where Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. I always end up crying during that part.

After the movie ended, I stood up and stretched. I wanted to watch the other version of Romeo and Juliet, simply to annoy Edward, but I decided against it. "Pride and Prejudice?" I held it up.

Edward laughed, taking it out of the DVD case and putting it in. "Must you always choose the romantic films?" he teased me.

I gently nudged his shoulder with mine as I laid back down next to him. "Oh, you love it," I teased back.

"Only when they don't end in tragedies."

I bit my lip as I thought about it. It was true - all of my favorite films and stories were tragedies. Wuthering Heights. Romeo and Juliet. Tristan and Isolde…

I supposed it would have been more normal of me if I were to choose a fairytale, but I couldn't help it. Not only did I find fairytales a tad too unrealistic, tragedies were also better stories. The love between star-crossed lovers were told better than the story of a cheerleader and a jock any day.

Edward leaned in close to me, and I turned to look at him in surprise. "What are you thinking?" he whispered, his sweet breath blowing on my face. I almost sighed out loud.

I realized then that the movie had been playing for half an hour and I had spaced out, not even watching it. I blushed at having been caught, and shrugged, turning back to look at the TV. Or, at least, I tried to turn away.

Edward's topaz eyes held me captive as he flashed me his crooked smile, causing my heart to race. My palms started to sweat as I subconsciously lean in closer.

His smile flickered as he, too, started to close the gap between us.

I wanted to stop but I couldn't. The temptation was too strong. Our connection was too strong. I felt like I was whole whenever Edward was around. Add in a little - okay, a lot - of hormones, and I was done for.

Our lips were just about to touch, our faces less than an inch apart from each other, when the doorbell rang. I jumped back, my face flushed. Edward shot me a sheepish smile, which I returned. "I'll just…Answer the door," I mumbled, unable to control my blush.

I stood up shakily, hoping to God I wouldn't trip, and went to the front door slowly. I heard Edward pausing the movie so that I wouldn't miss anything. That really wouldn't bother me at all - I hadn't actually paid attention to the first half hour of it anyway.

I opened the door without looking into the peeping hole. Edward could yell at me about safety later on. Who on earth could actually find this place without directions? I was curious.

I gasped as Gabriel stood in front of me, shuffling his feet from left to right. "Gabriel?" I choked out. What horrible timing!

The guilt of spending so much time with Edward and what we had done in the pool…It nearly crushed me.

I should have had better self control. Gabriel was a really sweet guy who came all the way from Europe for me. I shouldn't have done this to him. He deserved better.

"What are you doing here?" was all that I could manage to say. Pathetic.

He looked a little embarrassed. "I've missed you," he said quietly. The guilt doubled, making me almost gasped out loud in pain. I brought a hand to my chest and rubbed where my heart beat painfully. "I just wanted to see you…I hope I didn't cut in on any family bonding time."

He looked so abashed and so…Worried that he had upset me. My God, why couldn't he have been a jerk? That would have been easier. Much easier. I could have broken his heart without a second glance if he were.

But he wasn't a jerk. He was a sweet guy. And he cared for me. He'd missed me. What was a girl to do?

So instead of slamming the door in his face, I smiled and opened the door wider. "Come in," I invited.

Maybe I could cook up some lie about how my parents would kill me for having a boy over when they weren't in the house. It was true. They wouldn't kill me but they probably _would _ground me for a month.

I led him towards the living room. Edward was still lying on the mat, but he was looking at us as we walked in. "Sorry I didn't call," I said awkwardly. I really didn't have much of an excuse. The truth was right in front of Gabriel.

Gabriel saw Edward, the mat, the pillows, the food. He turned to me with narrowed eyes. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice low.

"We're, uh, watching movies," I said quickly, trying to dissuade his suspicion. It was just paranoia on his part.

_Right_, the annoying voice in my head said. It sounded suspiciously like Alice. _Because you didn't just have an almost-make-out session with Edward in the pool and you didn't fantasize about him the entire time after. Get a clue!_

I sat down on the couch. It was much to awkward to just resume my place on the mat next to Edward, and extremely inappropriate since Gabriel was right there.

_Why was it inappropriate when Gabriel was around but completely natural when Edward and I were alone_? I wondered to myself.

I realized Gabriel had followed suit and was still waiting for me to continue, as if there was something I was excluding from my story. I guessed I wasn't as good a liar as I thought I was.

"We haven't been spending time with each other lately. We've got some best friend catching up to do," I explained.

Gabriel seemed to accept this.

_It wasn't a lie_, I told myself. That was the purpose of this weekend. To avoid Mike's advances and spend more time with Edward since I hadn't seen him that much lately.

Of course, that was my fault for going out with Gabriel so much. I frowned, confusion seeping in again. How could I like hanging out with Gabriel but love Edward? This was just too much.

Edward stood up from the mat and for a moment, I thought he was going to leave Gabriel and I alone.

A part of me was grateful for that - Edward didn't like Gabriel. At all. And Gabriel tolerated Edward because he was a very important part of my life. But other than that, they could be sniping at each other for hours if someone didn't step in.

The other, bigger, part of me panicked. I didn't want Edward to leave. I wanted him with me, even if it was an awkward situation. _Especially _if it was an awkward situation. His presence alone was enough to calm me down.

Edward didn't leave, though. He walked over to the couch and sat next to me. Gabriel shot him a glare and I focused on the frozen picture of Mr. Darcy on the screen. Edward didn't comment on why he was sitting next to me, and I didn't ask. I wanted him there, so I didn't care about the reason.

I turned to Gabriel. "Are you…Staying?" I asked, wincing slightly. I hoped that my voice didn't sound too cracked.

Gabriel nodded his head firmly, eyes still trained on Edward in a glare. Edward returned it with much more fervor. I resisted the urge to groan out loud.

"Oh." Maybe Gabriel wouldn't catch the disappointment in my voice.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I stood up and walked over to the DVD set. "How about we watch a different movie?" I asked rhetorically. I was changing it to one of Emmett's spy movies no matter what.

I was not going to watch a romantic tragedy movie with my boyfriend and Edward. That was just too odd to comprehend.

I put in the Bourne Ultimatum and sat back down in between Gabriel and Edward. I mostly leaned back and tried to keep myself from accidentally touching one or the other.

Gabriel tried to take my hand once or twice. I felt so guilty over what I had done and what I would have to do to him that I couldn't just hold his hand.

Not to mention the fact that I could practically feel Edward stiffening up next to me every time it happened.

So I pretended I needed to grab more popcorn or stretch my arms or do something else that required both hands just so I could take my hand back without hurting Gabe's feelings.

Edward glared at Gabriel until he backed down when he tried to put his arm around me.

We watched about three spy movies before Gabriel said he had to head back home. I couldn't have been more relieved. The tension in the room was so incredibly thick, I couldn't stand it.

I walked Gabriel to the door, shooting Edward a glare when he made to come with us.

Gabriel stood at the doorway, smiling at me. "What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked me, his accent still evident in his voice.

I shrugged. "The entire family's playing baseball," I said, grinning in excitement. I hadn't seen them play for so long.

Gabriel saw my exuberance, and wanted to know if he could come along as well. I shifted uncomfortably on one foot to the other. That was an impossibility.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Gabe, but the family sees it as bonding time. Just us, you know? Maybe some other time?"

He looked a little disappointed but nodded his head nonetheless. "Yes. Well, I'll see you on Monday, then."

I didn't hold Gabriel's hand or kiss him when I bid him goodnight. It was too strange. Holding his hand seemed pointless to me now, and I didn't want to kiss anyone but Edward.

I closed the door behind Gabriel and sagged against it. _I didn't want to kiss anyone but Edward_? Just call Bellevue already!

"Bella?"

I jumped, turning around to face a sheepish-looking Edward. Behind his eyes, though, I could see the pain reflected.

I walked slowly towards him and sat back down next to him on the couch. "Edward, what's wrong?"

He took in a deep, unnecessary breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry," he blurted out. My eyes widened. Did he regret everything that had happened? Was he trying to tell me to forget it all? How could I even do that?

"I should have never put you in that situation," he elaborated. "It was completely wrong of me to touch you like I did when you're with another boy…"

I gaped at him. Here I was, nearly tearing the hair out of my scalp from sheer frustration at trying to understand our current situation, and he was apologizing for not being enough of a gentleman? What was wrong with the world?

I snickered a little when a little of the shock had worn off. Edward looked so guilty, like he had been caught stealing from the cookie jar before dinner or something.

"Edward," I rolled my eyes. "Enough with the whole gentleman thing. Don't get me wrong, it's great and all. But I'm going crazy trying to understand everything here. Etiquette isn't exactly something I'm worried about."

He gave me a half smile, but it was still enough to get my heart thudding violently against my chest. "Morals are what I was talking about, actually," he corrected.

I shook my head. "Morals, etiquette, it doesn't matter," I said firmly. "I want to understand, and I will. It'll take time. Can you…Please just give me time?" I asked nervously, wringing my hands together. I was afraid to even look him in the eyes.

Edward took my hands and kissed my knuckles gently. "Of course," he smiled. "I'll wait for you forever if I have to."

******************************************************************************

Edward and I were in the meadow again. I would never get tired of being there, just laying around and talking. It was peaceful - a rare occurrence when you're a Cullen or a Hale.

I had my hand raised above my head as I traced patterns in the sky. I found a rabbit, a cat and something that looked like a lion in the clouds.

A pale hand covered mine, and brought it back to the ground.

I turned my head to my left to see Edward laying next to me, smiling at me. He shifted his body so that he was facing me on his side. I mimicked him.

His hand still held mine, while he cupped my cheek with his free hand. He ran his thumb along my cheek, causing me to blush. Edward chuckled, his topaz eyes sparkling with happiness.

Suddenly, the daylight faded into night, and the sound of water trickling made me lift my body slightly off the ground to observe the surrounding.

We were back at Reflection Pond. My clothes were wet, as were Edward's. He was still so close to me.

But not close enough.

I reached out to bring him closer to me, but he was already on his feet. I frowned in confusion. Where was he going?

I called out to him, but he only threw a smile over his shoulder and ran towards the mountains. He was gone.

I kept calling for him, walking on unsteady feet to find him. I was plunged into utter darkness as I moved forward. I tripped, unable to see anything, and fell. I looked up, my ankle in pain, and was met with a pair of red eyes.

I screamed for Edward, but he was far gone.

Cold hands gripped me by the shoulders.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I was looking through her art folder again. I felt the pang of jealousy I always felt that Gabriel was the one to have introduced her to the world of art, but I couldn't help but be amazed. She was an incredible artist.

I think she simply drew whatever came to her mind. It was another reason why I completely loved looking at her art. It was another way for me to know what she was thinking or what was bothering her.

She would normally come to me if she was having a problem or if she just needed someone to talk to, but she edited. I wanted to know everything.

I felt a thrill run through my body as I flipped through her latest sketches. They were all of me. Sometimes it was all of me. Sometimes it was just my face. Sometimes she drew my eyes. There were even a few of us together, although she certainly didn't do herself justice.

The way she saw me…It was utterly ridiculous. She drew me as if I was some sort of a God. I was nothing close to that.

I had to admit, I was flattered.

And beyond pleased that I had been the one plaguing her mind recently. I had thought that I was the only one who had been feeling so much lately. I knew she was still working things out in her mind, I didn't blame her.

I had, after all, kissed her like that when she was still with another boy. I didn't actually kiss her on the lips, but it was still wrong of me to do.

Did I regret our intimate moment? Not at all.

Did I regret turning her into a dishonest woman? Most definitely.

I wanted to protect her, not corrupt her.

I sighed, running a light finger along yet another picture of us at Reflection Pond. She had so many of these. I guessed she never tired of drawing them. And I never tired of seeing them.

I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. What on earth was I thinking? I had just acted on my instincts without even thinking? What if Newton hadn't called? What would've happened then? Or if Gabriel hadn't interrupted us during Pride and Prejudice?

I had always felt the strongest kind of connection to her. Every emotion, every thought, every movement…We shared it somehow. I didn't know how or why, but it was there. I didn't need to read her mind because I knew her thoughts.

Take this evening, for example. I didn't walk away and leave Bella alone with Gabriel for two reasons.

One, I would never leave her alone with a boy - it was my territory I was protecting. I would just never tell her that because she would get angry that I was referring to her as an object.

Two, I knew she wanted me to stay. She hadn't looked at me or gestured to me or told me that she wanted me to stay, but I knew she did. And when I had sat down next to her, I had felt her relief.

I'd read in Jasper's mind how he had talked to Bella once about me. She had gone to him because she'd felt confused about her feelings. I supposed she had started to develop intimate feelings for me since then.

Jasper had told her that she and I were soul mates. I didn't know if I believed it at first, but it was getting harder to deny.

When I first found her, she was this innocent little girl I wanted so hard to protect. That hadn't changed. But as time progressed and our relationship deepened, she wasn't just the human who saved my soul. It felt like she _was _my soul.

But this morning…I had just lost control to my lust. It was worst than bloodlust, something I hadn't even thought was possible.

I had wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her. I had wanted to be with her, whisper her name and hear her tell me that I was her love.

When she had whispered my name, holding me tightly to her as if she never wanted me to let go…It took all of the control I had left to not tell her I loved her and just kissed her long and hard.

_What a wonderful gentleman I am_, I thought sarcastically to myself.

Rosalie would kill me. Even Esme and Carlisle wouldn't be happy with me at all.

I wanted to, don't get me wrong. But I had to be gentle with her. She was still so breakable.

And what if she hadn't wanted it, too? What if she still wasn't ready and I had just pushed myself on her? It would have actually ruined our relationship.

Besides, I knew she would want to end things with Gabriel first. That was an inevitable fact. Even if it weren't because of me, she would still have to end things because firstly, she clearly didn't feel the same way about him and secondly, she wouldn't want to hurt him.

She was that sort of a person. I didn't want to succumb to my feelings for her, succumb to my passion, and make her an even more dishonest person.

I had to be patient and wait.

Two words that I absolutely despised right about now.

"Edward," I heard Bella mumble. I smiled to myself. Her dreams consisted only of me recently. It had tormented me before, but now I was merely very pleased. I knew now that she felt the same connection and the same attraction. She just needed time.

I couldn't push her into jumping right in. I had the time to think it through. I had to grant her the same courtesy.

Bella started to thrash on the bed. My smile slipped from my face. She was having a nightmare.

"Red eyes," she murmured. A chill went down my spine. "Edward!" she screamed.

I ran to her side, her art folder falling to the floor. I placed my hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Bella," I called out. When she still continued to thrash around, yelling my name, I started to panic.

I shook her slightly harder. "Bella!"

Her eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position. "Edward!" she cried, sobbing. When her eyes focused on me, she threw her arms around me and sobbed into my shirt.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, shifting so that she was cradled against my chest, sitting her on my lap. I ran my hand through her hair repeatedly, soothing her.

I couldn't help but wonder what her nightmare had been about. Why had she said 'red eyes' before screaming my name?

It hurt to think that she might have had a nightmare of me hurting her in some way.

When she finally calmed down, I pulled back to look into her pink eyes. She blushed, looking down at her lap. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I-I just had a nightmare."

I nodded my head. "I know," I whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks gently. "Will you tell me what your nightmare was about?" Bella stayed silent, though the flush on her cheeks grew more pronounced.

I grimaced. She didn't want me to know what her nightmare was about. What did that mean? Was it because the nightmare version of me had harmed her? Did she not want me to know that? I bit my lip and decided to pry. I had to know.

"Please, Bella?" I pleaded. "You said red eyes before you said my name," I continued when she didn't tell me. "Was it me? Did you dream that I hurt y-"

She placed a warm hand on my mouth, muffling my words before I finished my question. "Edward, no!" she said fiercely. "Don't ever think that!"

Bella sighed heavily, dropping her head on my chest. I knew she could tell that I still thought of myself as a monster.

She wanted to help me, but she didn't know how the memories of my rebellious years haunted me. She didn't know how disgusted I felt every time I felt the temptation to drink from a human.

She looked up at me shyly, then asked, "If I tell you, promise not to laugh?" Her voice was so serious that I nodded my head immediately.

"I dreamt that we were at the meadow. And-and then we were at…The pond. In Alaska," she blushed crimson. I smiled widely, leaning down to press my lips on her forehead. "But then you disappeared. I called out to you, but it was so dark. I couldn't see. You were gone…"

She was shaken by this nightmare. I could feel her trembling against me. "I fell. When I looked up, I saw red eyes looking at me."

I frowned. "Was it me?" I asked sadly.

She shook her head. "No. I felt it. It…was like a stranger. I couldn't see who or…I don't know, Edward, it was a nightmare," she sighed again.

I brushed her hair back from her face. "Then why were you so shaken up?" I asked, confused. She had woken up sobbing in my arms. There had to be something in that dream that had scared her.

She blushed again and looked away. "I was afraid I would never see you again," she admitted softly. "I was afraid you'd left me."

I gripped her tighter, tilting her head up so that she would look at me. "Isabella," I growled. "I would _never _leave you."

Tears started to well in her eyes, so I leaned forward and kissed her eyelids. "I promise."

She had been the reason for my existence for the past decade. Before her, I walked around aimlessly. How could she even think that I would leave her?

Bella smiled, content with my answer, and snuggled into me. I kissed her forehead once more then placed her gently on the bed. "Sleep, Bella," I whispered.

She called out to me just as I reached the door. "Edward? Will you stay?" she asked quietly, blushing as she did so.

I smiled, and nodded my head. I headed over to the rocking chair by the window and sat down in it. I watched as Bella tossed and turn, fifteen minutes passing by before she sat up in bed and harrumphed. "I can't sleep," she complained, rolling her eyes.

I laughed, turning off the stereo which was playing Clair de Lune. I sat next to her and patted the bed, gesturing for her to lie down. She stared at me dubiously but I just gave her an innocent smile. She shook her head, though I could see the little smile playing on her lips.

Once she was lying down, I started humming the lullaby I wrote for her.

Immediately, her eyes begun to droop.

I smiled to myself. Maybe I should make her a recording of her lullaby, so she could play that instead of Clair de Lune to go to sleep.

I started to swing my legs over the edge of the bed, but Bella stopped me. She wrapped her arm around my waist, eyes closed, and snuggled into my chest.

"Bella," I called out anxiously. Not only was this inappropriate, considering she was still Gabriel's girlfriend, but Rosalie would kill me if she found out.

Alice had probably seen this but I was guessing that she didn't tell Rose otherwise I would have been nothing but a pile of ashes by now.

She looked up at me with half-closed eyes. "Stay with me, Edward?" she whispered. "Please?"

I hesitated. I wanted to stay with her. I loved watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, so content, when she was deep in slumber. I didn't know if I should have that right, though.

But she wanted me to. She wanted me to stay. How could I say no to my Bella?

She must have seen the reluctance in my eyes, because she pulled herself closer to me. On instinct, my arms wound around her to keep her welded to me. "Please, Edward?" she breathed, her warm breath tickling my skin. "I'm only content when you're near me."

Resigned, I tucked her in, wrapped my arms around her and hummed her lullaby until her eyes drifted shut.

I continued humming until her breathing completely even out. She shifted a little every now and then, but her sleep was peaceful.

"Edward," she whispered. I froze, afraid that she was having another nightmare. I didn't want her to suffer, even in her dreams. And I hated that she dreamt I left her - that would never happen.

"I love you."

I stared at her sleeping form. She was definitely unconscious, but she'd admitted it. Joy leapt through my heart and I lightly kissed her hair.

It was the sign I was looking for! The sign that told me Bella was ready for my confession.

I was no longer afraid of telling her, of her reaction. I knew she needed time, and I was never afraid of that. I was just afraid she'd tell me no.

Now I didn't have to worry about that. She loved me.

I smiled down at her and whispered, "I love you too."

______________________________________________________________________________

_The next chapter should be up soon because I wrote this in three parts. Too long to be one chapter._

_BTW, people, you really review fast. I didn't even have time to edit this because it already reached 100. I'm sorry for demanding so much, I was just particularly nervous about this chapter. ExB are kind of more 'intimate' here…Next one will be Bella sorting it out, but this one has more physical actions in it than previous chapters. I hope you don't find it too…I don't know. Inappropriate??_

_P.S. ExB are a little OOC in this because they gave in to their lust a little. Sorry about that._

_Happy reading and please review._

_Thank you!_

_Juliet._


	38. Baseball and Slow Dances

_**A/N:**__ I'm so sorry this took so long. It was a really long chapter and took time to edit. I think it's all done now. Have fun._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Jasper_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I yawned, blinking at the harsh sunlight coming in through the windows. When you live with vampires, you tend to get rooms with lots of windows. Edward must have opened the curtains up.

Speaking of Edward, he wasn't with me. I looked around the room, panicking. I noticed a folded piece of paper on the pillow next to my head, and took it, curious.

_Bella,_

_I've gone to pick up some of those donuts you liked. I will be back soon. I'm sorry if you woke up without me. You were in a very peaceful sleep and I didn't want to wake you up._

_Rosalie called again, and asked me to tell you that she would be back this evening. She's still very worried for you._

_Be safe until I return._

_Edward._

I smiled to myself as I reread the note. I placed it on my nightstand and got out of bed, stretching. Another day of Edward before the family returned.

I frowned as I stepped into the shower. What would we tell everyone? Would they agree with this or would they tell us no? And what was 'this', anyway. Edward and I never actually discussed it or agreed on where we stood.

I sighed, rubbing the shampoo into my hair. I hoped no one would get angry at me for…Wanting Edward. In _that _way. I hoped they wouldn't be angry at him, either, for what we almost did.

Anxious to see him again, I pushed away all negative thoughts. I knew I needed to sort them all out at some point, but I really didn't have the energy to do so at the moment. I just wanted to see Edward again.

I quickly showered and changed, and went downstairs. My donuts were on the kitchen isle, as well as one of those frappes Angela had gotten me addicted to. I took a sip and reached for a donut.

A pair of cold arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I gasped, startled. The frappe fell from my hand, but one of the hands on my waist caught it and placed it on the counter. I felt him right behind me, his chin on my head.

"Edward, you scared me," I said, waiting for my heartbeat to slow down.

He chuckled, turning me around to face him slowly. "I know," he smiled. "I can hear your heart racing."

He could hear my heart? All the way from there? Did that mean that he heard it every time it started to pound faster because he was near me?

I blushed furiously at the thought. "You can?" I asked blankly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He laughed at the mortification on my face. "It was more fun this way," he teased.

I rolled my eyes, still blushing, though my heart rate was somewhat normal now. I didn't think it was possible for it to be completely steady whenever Edward was around, so I grabbed a donut and headed for the living room.

The thing about growing up around Emmett was you grew up being completely addicted to Sunday morning cartoons.

I sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Edward sat next to me. "What would you like to do today?" he asked me quietly. I turned to find him watching me, his body angled towards me.

I flushed and swallowed. "I…Was wondering if we could just play the piano for a little while. I've missed that, too," I admitted.

He smiled and nodded his head. "Of course, Bella. I'd want to hear you play," he mused.

I knew he was only being polite. Edward was the real musical genius in the family. Next up was Rosalie.

I was just the girl who liked to play from time to time. It was mostly because of Edward. The piano always soothed the both of us when he played, and one day I decided I wanted to join in.

Edward had to drag me away from Spongebob. He detested the cartoon because he found it annoying and unrealistic. I rolled my eyes at that. It was a cartoon and he expected it to be realistic? What was he basing that on? Willy Coyote?

But I didn't complain all that much because Edward had sat me down on the piano bench and had sat next to me.

We begun playing a few of his songs - I liked those better than anyone else's compositions. His had more emotion to it. I could almost understand everything he felt when he wrote the songs. I didn't know if that was just because of my huge imagination or because he was just expressive that way.

After a while, I started playing Chopsticks. Edward laughed and joined in. When I first learned this song, I had played it over and over simply to annoy Jasper. Esme finally had to punish me with no piano playing for a week just to spare Jasper.

Of course, the first song I played when my punishment was over was Chopsticks.

Edward and I continued messing around with a few of the notes. I recognized this routine. It normally started as harmless fun. Then out of nowhere, we would have composed a song together.

I grinned as we made progress. I worked a lot harder on the compositions when Edward was with me. He was the perfect inspiration. His fingers worked the keys so lithely, I couldn't help but follow. I tended not to think too much and just let instinct take over. I think that was his point.

He bumped his shoulder into me, smiling as we moved along. The flutter of my heart had absolutely nothing to do with our new song, but with his proximity to me.

It was moments like these and the ones in between that made me wonder about our relationship. One moment we were just like we used to be, and the next I want nothing more than to know how it felt like to kiss him again.

Was I really in love with him? All these feelings, all these 'slip-ups' when we touch like lovers do…I wouldn't do that with just anyone.

Edward and I have had a special bond since I could remember. The older I got, the stronger it became. I had always looked at him as my best friend and my protector.

But the feelings that I had for him now, the desire coursing through my veins…It was nowhere close to being 'just friends'.

Jasper said that we were soul mates. I admit that the connection we had was bordering on uncanny. We pretty much shared the same soul, more like.

It had good points and bad points.

I had always found it a good thing that he and I had this connection. I didn't need to ask if something was wrong because I knew he would tell me anyway. I didn't need to know what made him happy because it came to me naturally.

But the bad point was just showing itself. I think our connection had made me fall for him. Fall for how much, I didn't know.

And did he even feel the same way?

For all I knew, he didn't love me that way. Maybe he's just confused about how he felt. Maybe I was the one who's confused.

Whatever it was, it would hurt if Edward were to leave me. I didn't want him to run or stay away from me if things turn out badly. What if one of us felt more than the other? What if something were to happen to ruin it all?

I knew I was being paranoid, but I couldn't help it. Edward was my everything. It would kill me if our relationship were to be obliterated.

An eternity was a long time and I'd like it very much if I could spend it with Edward. And 'deliriously happy' had to be a part of the equation, too.

That nightmare I had, was it just a random, irrational fear? Or was it a sign telling me to stay away?

It's hard for me to process everything because he's been my best friend almost all my life. Then suddenly, I'm hit with desire, love and lust.

Was it even natural to like him this way? To feel so much for him? He'd seen me grow up since I was six, running around in Tweety pajamas.

And now here I was, trying to figure out how much I loved him, and if I should just sit on my hands every time the desire to touch him overcame me.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie would say. Alright, so I know Rosalie would ground me and kill Edward, but what about Carlisle and Esme?

Would they be disappointed? Would they be angry at me for doing this? For feeling this way? And what about the rest of the family?

I was pretty sure it was going to be awkward.

I almost choked as I realized that Alice would have already seen everything that had happened the past few days - including what happened in the pool and when Edward stayed with me last night.

I blushed. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Oh, God.

When they returned, Jasper would surely sense all of the emotions in me. It was too hard for me to conceal from him. What would he do, then? I was sure my feelings had intensified about a million times since the last time we'd seen each other.

Would he and Alice keep it all a secret? Did the others already know? Would Emmett tease me endlessly about it? Was Rosalie already setting up a fire to burn Edward? Would I blush nonstop?

I sighed, adding a solemn note to the song. Edward frowned, and he turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged and gave him a small smile. He nodded and turned back to the piano. He understood that I was just lost in my thoughts, and needed time to sort things out.

_That _was definitely a positive aspect of our connection.

I thought back to Gabriel. I felt like such a dishonest person. I'd never intended to hurt Gabriel. He was the sweetest person. I really meant it when I said he showed me a different side to life. I was grateful for the time he and I spent together.

But I knew since day one that he and I were never meant to be. I was just too selfish to let him go. I cared for him, even back in Paris. I had wanted more time with him, so I kept him by my side.

I should have told him no, but he had come all the way from Paris for me. Paris. In Europe. He came to America for me.

While I had no doubt that he would have traveled to the States at some point in his life anyway, I knew that he came earlier for me. He wanted to be with me, and I liked him enough to be selfish and say yes.

Now I was going to have to let him go, all the while loving another man.

And then there was the factor of everyone else in town. I didn't actually mind whatever they thought or what they wanted to say, but I didn't want them to jibe at my parents. And by that I meant Charlie and Renee Swan.

From what I could tell, they were very respectable people. My memories of them were slightly hazy but I really loved them.

Carlisle was an amazing father and no one could ask for better mothers than Esme and Rosalie, but Charlie and Renee Swan were still my parents for six years. They created me, brought me into this world and loved me.

I didn't want to sully their name.

Not that I believed being with Edward would in any way sully their name. He was an amazing person, beautiful inside and out. His mind, his personality, his smile…They were all enchanting.

One thing I had learned in my few months being back in Forks, though, was that everyone in the town loved to gossip. You should have heard what they had to say about my family when we first moved back here.

They knew that Esme couldn't have any children and that we were all adopted. They made something big about that.

They knew Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett were together while they lived under the same house and called the same two people 'mom' and 'dad', and they made a big deal out of that, too.

I could only imagine what they would say if I were to just dump Gabriel and move on to Edward.

Could I even do that? Would my family allow me to? Would Edward want to?

I honestly had no idea what he wanted, or what I wanted for that matter. We had never really sat down to sort it all out together.

A part of me was grateful for that since I needed a little more time. The other part of me was still so confused and needed his help.

It felt like I was in a strange Austen novel. Or a teenage soap opera. Whichever had more drama in it.

I feel so conflicted.

I want him to love me. I want to know if I'm in love with him.

I hope my heart gets settled enough for me to finally understand.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

It was already night time. The family was due back any second. I was a little upset that my time alone with Bella was over, but if things progressed the way I intended them to, I would think that time alone with her would be in abundance pretty soon.

I was in the kitchen with Bella. She was eating her dinner as we waited for the others. We would be heading to the clearing for the baseball game soon after the others returned.

She already had on her baseball jersey, as was I. Alice had gotten us all baseball jerseys, with our names at the back, along with our number. I would have thought that Bella would be angry at Alice for spending money on her, but she had liked it.

Bella took another bite of her sandwich and grinned at me. "I can't wait for the game," she said excitedly. "It's been quite a while."

I nodded my head, agreeing. Bella normally had fun during these games, even though she didn't play with us. It was another way for her to bond with the family - especially Esme, who was Umpire. Besides, there really was no telling what Emmett and Jasper would do when they became competitive.

Bella shot me a look that said 'don't get angry at me'. I smiled, and gestured for her to say what was obviously bothering her. "I can't wait until I become…Like you," she admitted.

I tensed for a moment, and then forced myself to relax. Curiosity made me ask her, "Why?"

She shrugged. "I can finally play with everyone," she pointed out. "I wouldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore."

I laughed. "You want to be a vampire so you could play baseball, Bella? That has to be the most absurd reason," I joked. I wanted to lighten the mood. I knew she felt inferior whenever she wasn't a part of the team.

As much as Emmett enjoys teasing Bella about her clumsiness, I knew she hated it. She envied us for being so graceful while she tripped over her own feet every three seconds.

Of course, _I _found it endearing. She, however, had a different opinion.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not just baseball, Edward," she stuck her tongue out at me. "I want to be with the family without any reservations. You know, Jasper and I hadn't been able to really spend time with one another lately…"

I bit my lip and placed a hand on her arm. "He wants to," I assured her. "He really loves you."

She smiled sadly at me. "I know. I love him, too. But that's just it. I miss my big brother. I know it's not his fault. I just miss him. Once I'm like you, it could be like before, only better and slightly less ridiculous," she laughed.

I smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, there's only a year and a half left before your change occurs," I reminded her. "You will be able to join in soon enough."

Bella stared at me, blinking confusedly. "Are you actually accepting the idea of my becoming a vampire?" she asked slowly, disbelief clearly written all over her face.

I shifted my weight from one foot to another. Accepted it? Well, there really wasn't anything else I could do. I wanted her to have a normal life, but she wouldn't even be alive if she stayed human.

Besides, I knew none of us would be able to let her go.

So, reluctantly, I said, "Yes." She was gaping at me and I couldn't help but chuckle because she looked too funny. Realizing this, she closed her mouth but continued to stare at me incredulously.

"I do regret that you can't have a normal life," I explained, my voice soft. I didn't want to offend her in any way. "But it's unavoidable. And, truthfully, Bella. I can't let you go. I wouldn't be able to leave even if you asked me to. So this fate of yours is just something I'll have to accept."

She turned pink, her gaze dropping to the table. I smiled, reaching out to touch her hand. She intertwined her fingers with mine and squeezed.

"I don't understand why you think I need a normal life, anyway," she cleared her throat, probably to try and divert my attention. "Normal versus happy. I'd pick the latter any day."

I smiled at her attempt to change the subject. I rolled my eyes when she reached for another pop tart. She had already eaten a whole box of it, along with three sandwiches. I would imagine this was how Emmett acted when he was a human.

"Are you trying to compensate for the eternity of being disgusted by human food, Bella?" I teased, bumping her shoulder with mine gently.

Bella scowled playfully at me. "Coming from the guy who prefers mountain lion smoothie over anything else," she shot back, raising her eyebrow at me as if challenging me to retort. I laughed - she had spent too much time with Rosalie, that was for sure.

I stared into her captivating brown eyes and subconsciously leaned forward. Stopping myself, I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell her right here and now what I felt for her. Our entire weekend had gone by and I hadn't done anything to tell her.

I wanted to tell her in a grand gesture, but my ideas were still a little sketchy. As much as I hated to admit it, I was going to need Alice's help.

We had had plenty of opportunities over the last three days to finally get it all out but there was always something in the way.

We would either get interrupted by someone like Mike or Gabriel or even Rosalie who kept checking in, afraid that Bella would be in shock after her attack.

I had to admit that even I was amazed at how composed she was. Not everyone would be so calm. I supposed, though, after being attacked by vampires and whatnot, human men didn't seem very scary, especially since they hadn't done any damage - thank the Lord.

I knew she needed time to process her feelings and sort it out with Gabriel, but I just needed to tell her. Three little words - I could do that.

I opened my mouth to tell her, but the front door slammed open. "Squirt, where are you?" Emmett yelled, even though he and I both knew he could smell her scent coming from the kitchen.

Emmett rushed in before Bella had a chance to reply and lifted her up in a bone crunching hug. "Hey, there, angel," he greeted her.

Bella was gasping as she tried to breathe through his iron grip. "Em-" she croaked out. "I cahann _beethe_…" she rasped out.

Emmett looked at me, puzzled by her garbled words. I stepped forward, sighing, and pried Emmett's arms off of Bella. She stumbled, flailing her arms as she went headfirst to the floor.

I caught her by her waist and righted her. I made to pull away from her before I gave in to the desire to pull her close to me, but Bella gripped my arms, heaving as she tried to breathe normally.

She shot Emmett a look, "Good God, Emmett. What did you eat? Super bear?"

He roared in laughter, his shoulders shaking. He slapped Bella on her back, and her knees gave out a little. It was a good thing that I still had my arms wrapped around her, else she might have fallen over.

Bella seemed to realize that she was still locked in my embrace, and blushed. She stepped away from me, and I reluctantly let her.

_Dude, Rose is so mad at you_, Emmett thought, giving me a knowing look. _Alice saw and started squealing when she was chasing deer. Rose threatened her new designer bag so she had to tell. In the pool? Really? Didn't know you had it in you._

I growled at him, but he just chuckled. _Look, Alice said nothing happened, and I believe her. You're way too tame. But if anything happens to my sister, I'll kick your ass straight to Montana. Got it?_

I nodded my head, restraining myself from lunging at him for the 'too tame' comment. Bella was first and foremost the daughter and sister of the family. They were ready to protect her from anyone who could hurt her, and that included me.

I might not be able to physically wound her because it would kill me to do that, but heart was involved. The heart was a fragile matter, I knew that.

"Isabella!" Rosalie's panicked voice came in through the door. Within seconds, Bella had been swept into her embrace. "Baby, are you alright?" she asked, checking every inch of Bella to make sure she wasn't hurt.

I knew she was worried because of what happened to herself. Men like Lonnie were the reason for her human death and her transformation into a vampire. She was afraid for Bella, afraid that something similar might have happened.

And it would have, too, if Bella had been completely and utterly alone that night.

Bella blushed at being the center of attention. "Mom!" she groaned, trying to push Rosalie away. It didn't do any good, though. "Mom, I'm fine," she stressed the word.

Rosalie turned to me, her eyes filled with worry, disbelief, anger and relief. _I'd kill you for the pool. And sleeping in the same bed!? Are you trying to commit suicide? Is that what this is about? The only reason you're not a pile of ashes now is because this makes her happy. You make her happy. Not to mention this was inevitable. Just don't, you know, go too far or anything._

If I could have blushed, I would have. Rosalie was telling me not to…Make love with Bella.

I shifted uncomfortably and moved slightly farther away from Rose and Bella. There was just something wrong with the mention of that in front of a mother and her daughter. Especially when I was in love with the daughter.

Rosalie bit her lip, arms around Bella, her cold glare still on me. Her eyes softened a little and she muttered a curt, "Thank you."

I nodded my head to acknowledge her gratitude. I knew her cold attitude had more to do with the fact that she wasn't ready for Bella to grow up. She wanted more time with her daughter, and she felt like I was taking her away from her.

I didn't blame her. Bella was our humanity.

Even when she was changed, she would continue being Rose's daughter. I wouldn't get in between their relationship no matter what. I hope Rose would understand that.

The rest of the family filed in, as well. Alice was excited, of course, dancing around to Bella to give her a peck on the cheek.

Jasper took one step into the kitchen and froze, looking around. His eyes landed on Bella, who blushed and looked away. _Wow. Very intense emotions…Guess Alice was justified being so excited. Hmm. I wished she hadn't interrupted me when I was chasing down the lion, though. It's been a long time since I had one. I was getting tired of elk and bear._

Esme was concerned for Bella's physical and mental health, as well.

"Are you sure you're alright, dear?" she asked Bella, placing a hand on Bella's forehead.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Really. I'm fine. And I don't have a fever, either," she said, shrugging off Esme's hand. "I'm fine," she said again.

When no one believed her, she threw her hands up in frustration. "Edward!" she turned to me. "Tell them!"

I smiled at her irritation and nodded her head. "She didn't seem too shocked by the events that happened," I said, frowning slightly. "Maybe that was denial…"

Bella slapped a hand on her forehead. "You know, when I said 'tell them', I meant 'take my side'," she glared at me.

"Good job saving her, man," Jasper clapped me on the back.

Bella folded her arms across her chest and stared defiantly at Jasper. "Hey!" she protested. "I could have taken care of myself, thank you very much."

Emmett and Jasper exchanged looks and burst out into laughter.

Bella blushed then shrugged. "Okay, I could have run away," she amended.

"You would have tripped," I countered.

"I could have driven away."

"It was a good few feet away. They would have caught up to you by then."

"I…Could have used my pepper spray."

"You know, that really doesn't do anything," I mused. The silly things humans used to defend themselves with were ridiculous.

Bella groaned. "You're being annoying," she informed me.

I grinned at her. "And _you're _being stubborn."

Carlisle chuckled, stepping in. "Alright, that's quite enough," he said sternly. His smile let us know he wasn't actually angry, though. "Let's head out to the clearing, shall we?"

Emmett rubbed his hands together and turned to Alice. She answered his unspoken question, two fingers pressed to her temple as she closed her eyes. "Fifteen minutes, give or take," she murmured.

We went out to the garage. I climbed into Emmett's Jeep Wrangler, Emmett taking the wheel. Bella and Rose sat in the back, still in each other's embrace. Rosalie was still in shock over what happened, and was too relieved her daughter was safe to let her go.

Bella had her head on Rose's shoulder, completely content. She was just leaning into her mother, comforting her and letting her know that she was there. Bella knew that Rosalie needed to be with her and that she would calm down in her own time. She was letting Rose just hold her and be content.

I smiled at the sight before turning to face the front.

_Have you told her?_

I shook my head slightly at Emmett's question.

_Dude, what's wrong with you? You had three days alone with her!_

I sighed loudly. "We keep getting interrupted," I said through gritted teeth, my voice low enough so that Rosalie wouldn't be able to hear, let alone Bella.

Emmett snickered. _Rose?_

I shook my head again. "Newton called," I rolled my eyes. "And Gabriel came by."

Emmett's eyes widened. _Whoa. He didn't walk in on anything, did he?_

"No. Almost, though," I sighed again, staring out of the side of the Jeep. Emmett had taken the top down since the rain wouldn't hit where we would be.

We reached the side road in ten minutes. We had to run to reach the clearing. There was an awkward moment when Rose and I both reached for Bella to run to the clearing.

Bella blushed and looked down at her feet.

Emmett cleared his throat and grabbed Rosalie's hand, dragging her away from us. "Come on, Rose. Let's get to the clearing before Jazz gets there and see if we can get the better bats," he said. He threw her over his shoulder and ran before she could protest.

_It wouldn't be awkward at all once Bella and __I get together_, I thought dryly.

Bella laughed nervously as I approached her. I smiled, throwing her over my shoulder as gently as possible. She locked her legs around my waist, and pressed her cheek to mine. "Ready?" I asked her.

She smiled widely. "Yes," she breathed excitedly.

I took off to the clearing at vampire speed. Bella laughed, her eyes wide open. I knew she loved the speed, but I made sure not to go that fast. She was still human. I wouldn't want her to get whiplash. Or throw up.

When we reached, I reached around behind me and placed Bella on her feet in front of me. I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand and gave her a wide smile. Her heart thudded violently. Bella blushed at that, knowing now that I could hear her clearly.

I chuckled, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

"Good luck," Bella smiled, knowing my tendency to turn these friendly games into competition.

I nodded at her and rushed off to the other side of the field to get ready for the game. All the luck in the world would be useless if Bella wasn't with me.

Alice lifted her head as she disentangled herself from Jasper's arms. "It's time," she called out, grinning.

"Batter up!"

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

We reached the clearing first. Carlisle and Esme headed off to walk around the field, holding hands.

I turned to Alice and swept her up into my arms. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her feet were dangling off the ground now.

I smiled, kissing the tip of her nose gently. "Are they coming soon?" I asked, glancing around in irritation. Normally, Emmett was the one who reached first.

Alice nodded her head. "Rose is pissed," she murmured, amused.

I sighed. Rosalie wasn't a force to be reckoned with when she was angry. I wondered what ticked her off this time.

"Edward," Alice said brightly, answering the question I was about to ask her. I rolled my eyes. Of course.

Emmett reached the field in a blur, even to my eyes. He had Rosalie thrown over his shoulder. "You put me down, Emmett Cullen!" she screamed.

He obliged, but gave her a reproving look. "Rose, they're in love. You're not supposed to interfere," he pointed out.

She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "But I'm her mother," she complained.

Emmett smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Yeah, but she's growin' up, Rosie. You can't baby her all the time," he said gently.

"Why don't we just focus on the game tonight, darlings?" Esme cut in, her voice motherly.

As if on cue, Edward and Bella came to the clearing, Bella on his back. They were both laughing. It was the happiest I had ever seen them. I wondered exactly how much happier they would be once they'd confessed their love to one another.

We averted our eyes when Edward stepped toward Bella, running his hand down her cheek. It was an intimate moment and we had to respect their privacy. Well, as much privacy as they could get in a family of vampires, anyway.

The moment Edward stepped away from Bella, I noticed that her emotions came crashing down on her. The serenity and love she felt around him was crushed underneath the weight of her fear and guilt.

I could understand her guilt. Bella was a sweet person. She cared about everyone, even from a young age.

I could remember her comforting me when I had almost lost control. She should have been angry with me, and yelled at me, or avoid me or even be afraid of me. Instead, she _comforted _me. It was the strangest yet sweetest thing she had done for me at that point.

She _would _feel guilty about feeling so much for Edward when she was with Gabriel. But we all knew that relationship was going down the drain. She must have known that, too. It was just typical of Bella to not want to hurt him.

But what was the fear about?

I stared at her confused, as she walked over to Esme. I watched her for a while and caught saw her shooting furtive looks at Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie. She kept twisting her baseball hat, putting it on then taking it off yet again.

She was nervous.

Ah. I smiled to myself.

She was afraid of their reactions. Understandable. She didn't know about Alice's vision. And the way Rose has been acting was definitely enough to make anyone scared.

They were both Umpires for now. Bella had said how she wanted a more active role once she was a vampire. She wanted to see how it would be like to play, when she wasn't so clumsy anymore of course.

Alice and I were still huddled together when Edward came over to me. "Jasper," he said urgently. Alice didn't move from my embrace, and I happily held on to her.

Edward raised his eyebrow at her but she merely shrugged. "Hello? I've already seen your question. Psychic, remember?" she reminded him. Edward rolled his eyes at her and ruffled her hair. She huffed, and straightened her black spikes.

I kissed her cheek tenderly before turning back to look at Edward. He was shuffling nervously from one foot to another. "Have you sensed anything…Different? About Bella?" he asked awkwardly.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You sure you want know?" I asked him. He nodded his head firmly.

"She loves you," I stated simply. "She's accepted that, though she's unsure how much she loves you. She's trying to figure it all out so she's pretty much an emotional wreck right now. Not to mention how she's feeling so guilty about breaking up with Gabriel."

I held back the part about her fear. I blocked my mind so Edward wouldn't read it in my thoughts. Of course, the fact that I was blocking my mind in the first place made Edward suspicious of me.

"You're hiding something from me," he accused. I bit my lip, unsure if I should tell him. After all, he did have a tendency to take things the wrong way. If I told him Bella was afraid, he would jump to conclusions before I could even explain it to him. "Jasper," Edward growled, frustrated.

I sighed. It was his call. "She's afraid," I said, defeated. Edward's face fell, but I spoke up before he could say or do anything in response to my answer. "Not of you. She's afraid of the family's reaction. She doesn't know what they'll say if they knew…She doesn't know about the visions, remember?"

Edward smiled brightly. "She has nothing to worry about, then," he said contentedly.

Alice suddenly raised her head, grinning widely. "It's time!" she called out, yelling only for Bella's benefit. And because she was so excited and needed to burn off some of it.

Right on cue, thunder and lightning crashed upon each other. The clearing was perfectly dry, though, just as Alice had predicted.

She disengaged herself from my arms, kissing my cheek once. "Impress her," she advised Edward, who smiled like a little boy on Christmas morning.

He frowned at my euphemism and ran off to take his position.

Esme, from where she stood with Bella, clapped her hands together to get our attention. To Bella, it would seem like thunder, I supposed, but she had gotten used to it. She didn't even flinch from the sound even though she stood right next to Esme.

"Batter up!" Esme called out.

All through the game, Edward impressed Bella. He ran faster than he had ever done, was more energetic than I had ever seen him and played like a pro. Every now and again, he would go up to Bella and asked her teasingly how the game was going.

Every time he did this, Esme would move away from the two in an attempt to give them a little privacy. And every time, Rosalie would give off a flare of annoyance and Bella would blush like crazy.

I laughed, shaking my head as the wind blew through my hair. It was pretty amusing how the two of them skirted around each other like that.

Right at this moment, Edward had just scored another home run and had gone over to Bella. "Enjoying the game so far?" he asked her, smiling.

Bella laughed, throwing her head back.

A wave of lust from Edward hit me so strongly, I felt the sudden urge to grab Alice and rush her to a secluded part of the woods. _Whoa, tone down the lust, Eddie_, I joked, forcing the lust away. Alice would never forgive me if we lost.

He didn't acknowledge that he had heard my thoughts, but the lust slowly ebbed away. Thank God. I sent him some calming waves simply so as not to drive myself crazy.

Bella nudged Edward. "You're really into the game tonight," she smiled widely at him. I rolled my eyes. Of course he was.

Emmett was getting impatient. "Eddie!" he hollered. Edward snarled in his direction. Emmett didn't even flinch. Hmm. Maybe Edward was getting soft. He turned to glare at me and I grinned innocently. "Would you get back here!?"

Edward sighed, turning back to face Bella. "I have to get back," he stated unnecessarily. He took her hand and kissed the back of her hand. She turned bright red and he chuckled, running over to the field.

We resumed the game for the fiftieth time that night. I could hear Bella's pounding heart as she watched the game. Or, more accurately, as she watched Edward.

I knew for a fact that her eyes and her mind hadn't left him the whole time. Her emotions were too haywire for her to focus on anything else.

She was impressed, too, by his wins tonight. He had scored home run after home run. Like she said, his head was really in the game. What she didn't know was that he was just trying to impress her.

It wasn't that hard to score a home run when you're as fast as Edward.

Bella's heart stopped for a moment. Everyone on the field froze, afraid something had happened. Then her heart started up again, but it pounded furiously, erratically. _Is she going into cardiac arrest?_ I thought to myself.

Of course, Edward heard me and moved forward, dropping his bat.

I sensed her emotions then. Love - pure, unadulterated, irrevocable love. Realization. Fear, again. Understanding. Lust. Affection.

Ah.

I stopped Edward, shaking my head. _Trust me, she's fine. Resume the game, Edward._ He looked at me as if I had grown another head in front of me. _Edward, she'll be even worse if you go to her now. She'll be embarrassed. Just resume the game._

He took one more look at her then ran back into place. The others followed his lead even though worry was still their main emotion.

"Oh my God," I heard Bella whispered, stunned. I could smell the faint scent of salt and knew that Bella was close to tears without even turning around. "Esme?" I heard her call out softly. "Could you please take me home?"

Esme nodded her head, worried, and threw Bella over her shoulder. She knew we had heard Bella asking her to take her home, so she didn't bother telling us.

Once Bella was out of the clearing and thus, out of earshot, the others stopped playing and looked at me. Alice was already squealing because she saw my answer to their inevitable question.

Edward was the one who asked. "Jazz, what on earth was that?" he asked, concerned.

I laughed at his fearful look. He had absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact, he should feel nothing but happiness. "That was Bella having an epiphany, Edward," I chuckled. He stared at me curiously. "She finally realized she's in love with you."

Stunned silence followed my statement.

Emmett broke it. "Finally!" he burst out, pumping his fist in the air.

A slow smile spread across Edward's face. I was blinded by the euphoria exploding from him.

Finally, indeed.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I crawled into bed, wrapping the sheets around me as I drew my legs up to my knees, chewing on my lip.

I was in love with Edward.

Oh, God, how did I not see that? Was it obvious? I didn't drool over him or anything, did I? Did everyone know? It would be hard to miss with Jasper's gift.

I knew Jasper knew, because he had stopped Edward from coming to me when I'd panicked back at the clearing. He knew. No doubt Alice knew, too, which was why she looked so excited.

If those two knew, Edward and the others would, too.

What would the others say now? I was mostly afraid of Rosalie's anger and Carlisle's and Esme's disappointment in me.

And Edward. What would he do? Would he run from me, now that he knew I wanted more? Would he hate me? I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest aching from the very thought of it. Tears welled up behind my eyes.

I heard Esme knocking on the door. I jumped, startled. "Bella, dear?" I heard her call out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder, my voice would crack and tip her off.

Silence greeted me. "Alright, dear," she said finally. "But if you need anything…I'm here for you, angel."

Her concern made it all the more painful. I didn't know if she would approve but what was there to approve if Edward didn't feel the same way?

I knew we had had our occasional…Slip-ups, but I still didn't know what that meant. I didn't know if he was in love with me

The thought itself was laughable. I was just a plain Jane, an ordinary human. I was the girl he'd seen as a little girl. He'd seen me in all my awkward moments.

Why would he fall in love with me? Why would he want me?

I slipped further into the bed, dropping my head onto my pillow, sob threatening to escape my mouth. I struggled to keep it in.

My phone rang suddenly, startling me. I slowly shifted until I was sitting upright and reached for my phone. The caller ID read 'Gabriel'.

Guilt crashed down onto me in such strong waves, I was glad Jasper wasn't here to feel it. I reluctantly answered it, knowing that he would call the house phone if I didn't.

"Gabriel," I whispered his name.

He didn't seem to notice that my voice sounded different. "Bella," he said cheerfully. "I'd just picked up my tux for the dance."

My body froze. The dance! Oh, God, what was I going to do about that? "R-really?" I stuttered.

"Yes," he replied, still excited. "I can't wait, Bella. My first American dance! It would be amazing, no?"

No was more like it.

"Sure, Gabe," I whispered. "It'll be great…"

Gabriel paused then said, "Are you alright, Bella? You sound…Different. How did the game go?"

I felt my throat tighten at the mention of the game. "It was good. Emmett got a couple of great hits. Listen, I've got to go. The game was very… Strenuous. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?"

I bid him goodnight, hoping he couldn't hear the guilt in my voice. I sank back into the sheets, and let the tears fall.

How could I have been so horrible to him? How could I break his heart now? He was so… Innocent. So wonderful to me.

He really did mean a lot to me. He had come all the way from France for me. He did all these amazing things for me, and here I was, trying to figure out how to break his heart.

Looking back, the whole time I was with Gabriel, I had been in love with Edward. The racing heart. The sweaty palms. The blushing. The jealousy. The same feeling I had around him then and now…

My heart had never been available for Gabriel or anyone else to take. It had always belonged to Edward. I had just been too scared to see it for myself and admit it.

Now everything would be ruined. Gabriel would get hurt, no matter how this all turned out. That was always the inevitable, even if I hadn't fallen in love with Edward. I should have just stayed friends with him, like Carlisle had wanted. Like Rose had wanted.

And Edward would…I didn't know what he would do. Would he leave? Would he be disgusted that I fell for him? Look at how he treated Tanya. Would I be like her now? Infatuated by him but never getting a hold of his heart?

I didn't know when exactly, but I managed to cry myself to sleep in the night. The house was silent throughout, even when the Cullens reached home. Not even Emmett made a single noise.

I guess they knew of my heartbreak.

******************************************************************************

If it was possible, I woke feeling worse than I had the night before. Nothing was resolved, my head and my heart were both pounding in pain and I had to go to school today.

Was God out to get me?

I rolled over, groaning at the pain in my head and cracked my eyes open. I blinked at the sight on my nightstand and sat up immediately. I raised my hand to my head. "Head rush," I moaned.

Shaking it off, I reached over to the bouquet of flowers in a vase on my nightstand. I smiled as I recognized the flowers. Calla lilies, daisies, white lilies, pink roses and freesias.

Edward had placed it there. This was the same flowers he would give me whenever I had a bad day. Since I had been gardening with Esme from a young age, I knew the meaning of the flowers. Edward had simply read it off her mind and thought it suitable to cheer me up.

The calla lilies were for magnificent beauty because Edward said that I didn't see myself clearly. He always said that I was a beautiful person, inside and out, and that I needed to see that and have confidence in myself.

The freesias were because of my scent, of course, and for friendship and innocence. Two things Edward said were a few of my best traits.

The daisies signified my apparent loyalty and gentleness. The white lilies were for how sweet I was - I always blushed when I thought of his explanation for the roses. And the pink roses were for happiness, because he said I deserved it all the time.

I wasn't too sure about that, but I'd take the comfort of the flowers any day. I leaned forward to take a whiff of the bouquet when I realized the two additions to it.

Startling blue forget-me-nots and gardenias.

I gasped. It couldn't be…Could it?

Forget-me-nots signified true love. Gardenias signified secret love…What was he trying to say? That he loved me? That he was my true love?

I traced the petals of a forget-me-not flower with a gentle finger. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute.

Someone knocked on my door and I jumped. "Bella, get to it!" Alice shouted from the other side of the door. "We have to leave in an hour! I haven't got time to delay if your hair's going to be salvaged!"

I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath of the sweet scent of flowers before putting the vase back on the nightstand.

I didn't know what I was going to do about the flowers or Edward. That came with a lot of problems that I didn't have the energy to deal with at the moment.

What I did know was that I had to break things off with Gabriel - but not before the dance this week. He wanted to live American for a while, and this was his first dance. I had already promised him I would go with him.

I didn't want to make him upset before he even got the chance for his first American dance. He sounded so excited over the phone.

I'd go with him, just for one night. Then I'll break up with him.

How about on Saturday? Did that sound good?

I sighed, heading over to the shower. "Congratulations, Bella," I muttered to myself. "You've just reached a new low."

******************************************************************************

"Will you stay still!?" Alice growled at me, desperately trying to do my hair while I bounced in my seat in front of the vanity. I was acting more like Alice than myself at the moment.

I couldn't help myself. The dance was finally here. Gabriel was going to be here in thirty minutes. This was the last night Gabriel would see me as his girlfriend.

I had managed to go through the entire week without kissing him. Little kisses on the cheek, sure, I'd allowed that. I just pretended to be European when that happened.

I had to allow the kisses-on-the cheek lest Gabriel found out I was planning on breaking up with him before tonight. I really did want him to have fun and not be upset tonight.

Of course, it was simple to lie to him about the no lip-locking for five days straight situation. I just told him my family placed strict rules about kissing in front of them or anyone else. No PDA. He had wanted to go on a date, but I just told him I was too busy helping Alice pick out my dress and whatnot.

I just didn't mention that Alice had picked out my dress a month ago and everything was already prepared.

Now I had to spend hours with Gabriel, dancing and all, in a public place. Edward and the Cullens would be there, and so would everyone else.

The Cullens knew I was going to break up with Gabriel, and soon. They had never mentioned my little strange episode at the clearing, nor had they mentioned anything about Edward and I.

But they were _too _quiet, so I knew that they knew. And I knew Edward knew, too, the way he kept looking curiously at me.

Rosalie had been shocked that I was going to the dance with Gabriel, but I had promised him. I wanted him to have one last, good memory of us together before I break it off. I knew I hadn't been around that much for him, and I knew he was worried.

Of course, he had reason to be but it didn't mean that I couldn't just dance a few times with him and have a give him something pleasant to remember us by.

Finally, Alice stepped back from my hair and stared at it before crying out "Done!" I sighed in relief.

She gave me my dress. It was actually pretty decent. It was knee-length spaghetti strap midnight blue dress, with a black ribbon tied around the waist. I slipped it on and Alice fussed over me, making sure everything was just right.

I looked at the clock. Gabriel would be here soon. Alice gave me an assuring hug. "It'll be alright," she murmured and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

I smiled half-heartedly at her, and squeezed her tightly before releasing her. "Thanks, Alice," I said, going out the door. I was wearing heels, so I walked twice as slow just to be careful. I made it down the stairs without tripping which in itself was a miracle.

I stepped into the living room. It was almost empty - except for Edward.

My heart started to pound faster at the sight of him. He was just so _beautiful_. His tousled bronze hair made me want to just rush over and run my fingers through it. He was in a tux - something I was sure Alice had either tricked him or blackmailed him into wearing.

He was sitting on the arm of one of the couches, waiting for the rest, his eyes downcast. At the sound of my pounding heart, he looked up and gave me his crooked smile. I flushed a deep red, and gave him a smile. "Hi," I said, blinking at him to make sure this vision was real.

How on earth had I never noticed before how incredibly Adonis-like he was? Was I vision impaired because I knew I had been in love with him for quite some time now?

"Bella," he called out. I looked up to see him still looking at me, his eyes widened. "You…Look beautiful," he choked out.

I smiled shyly at him. "Thank you."

Edward cleared his throat and stood up. I bit my lip, trying to control my blush and my heart in vain. He stopped right in front of me and stood frozen in place. I blinked up at him, unsure of what to do.

He lifted his hand and I simply watched, entranced. He slid his hand into my hair, running it down my soft curls. I felt myself trembling at the feel of his cool hand, and reached out to grip his waist to steady myself.

The doorbell rang, interrupting us. My eyes widened and I stepped away from him, disgusted by my behavior. "Gabriel's here," I announced.

Edward looked away. "Yes," he said, his voice void of emotion. I knew better though. He was upset. I frowned, then walked closer to him hoping that he wouldn't run from me. I leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly. He turned and smiled at me a little. "Save a dance for me?" he asked.

I wasn't a really good dancer. In fact, I was a terrible dancer. My uncoordinated movements were even worse on the dance floor.

But for Edward, I could do it. So I nodded my head, and reluctantly moved away from him.

I opened the door and greeted Gabriel with a smile that I hoped was bright enough to be believable.

Gabriel was also in a tux, but it had nothing on Edward. I stepped out and closed the door, not wanting the two of them in the same room at the same time for more than necessary. "Wow, Bella," he said, appraising me with his eyes. I smiled uncomfortably as he led me to his Audi. "You look really beautiful."

He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. I blushed at his compliment, but his kiss didn't get my heart worked up, nor did it make me lightheaded.

I stared at Gabriel. Did he feel the same way I did, or was he feeling more?

"Hey, Bella!" Jasper called out. I looked over to see him leaning against his new car. A Jaguar XKR-S he had recently acquired. It was a limited edition but I had learned a long time ago not to question how they get what they want.

I waved at him a little. I knew Alice would be there as soon as Gabriel and I had left. She was probably ushering the others to the living room to leave the moment we did.

We got into his Audi and drove. He drove within the speed limit, of course.

I stared out the window, missing the speed that would have gone with the ride if I had been with Edward. I wondered if we could go on a ride in his Vanquish soon. It was a wonderful car that he had just gotten. I still hadn't gotten over how amazing it was.

We reached the high school, where the dance was being held. They had transformed the gym for the night. Gabriel got out his car the same time I did. I didn't want him to be all chivalrous for me - not when I was going to break his heart tomorrow.

We stepped into the gym and greeted by crepe paper and streamers. I rolled my eyes. This was worse than death itself.

Gabriel asked me for a dance, but it was a fast song. I really couldn't dance to one of those. I shook my head. "Later, please?" I said, eyes looking sharply at the mass of students on the dance floor. I couldn't even recognize their movements.

Gabriel laughed. He had always been amused by my two left feet. "I'll get us something to drink?" he suggested. I nodded my head and went to sit down at a table by the side.

I felt someone tapping my shoulder and turned my head to see Mike standing there, hands in his pockets. I bit my lip to keep from sighing. "Hey, Mike," I smiled up at him. I really didn't mind him - when he wasn't trying to hit on me, at least.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

I shook my head. "I'm really not a dancer, Mike," I said, panic rising to the surface.

He was still insisting. "Come on, Bella. One dance-"

"I'm sorry," a velvet voice interrupted. Relief flooded through me. Edward would get me out of this dilemma for sure. Nothing could stop him from beating off Mike Newton with a stick - or a baseball bat - if he had to. "She's dancing with me."

I hoped he wasn't serious.

Mike took one long look at Edward, his eyes narrowed. Then he shot me a little smile. "Maybe later?"

"Uh…" I didn't have a chance to reply with a more coherent sentence because Edward had picked me up and twirled me over to the dance floor.

The song had changed to a slow song. "Impeccable timing," I praised him. He gave me a crooked grin and my heart thudded once. His smile widened. I ignored that. "Terrible idea," I gestured towards the dance floor.

Edward laughed, lifting me off the floor and setting my feet on his. "It's all in the leading," he whispered into my ear, sending shivers running down my spine. "Don't you trust me?" he asked, feigning hurt as I still looked hesitant.

I rolled my eyes. "You know I do," I replied, smiling anyway.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and supporting me with his hands on the small of my back.

I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep myself from falling off his feet as he twirled as around the dance floor. I laughed as we - well, Edward mostly - danced. I felt like a little girl, free of any inhibitions.

I saw Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett making their way to the dance floor. They were as graceful as Edward, all of them. I leaned into Edward, letting him support me fully. I was probably as light as a feather to him.

Alice winked at me over Jasper's shoulder and I blushed. I averted my gaze from my family and focused on Edward. He was looking at me so intently, his topaz eyes glittering and intense. I flushed under his penetrating gaze.

He smiled at me. "Have I mentioned how ridiculously beautiful you look tonight?" he asked, his voice low.

Another shudder ran through me at the sound of his velvet voice. I let my eyes drop to his chest, where my hand had subconsciously found its way to play with his collar. "Once or twice," I mumbled.

Edward kissed my forehead, causing me to look up. I panicked slightly, then felt myself relaxed. It must have been Jasper. The fact that he could sense my emotions at all was unnerving at the moment.

I looked into Edward's beautiful topaz eyes which was a mistake. I ended up being completely entranced by his eyes. The surrounding melted away. Only Edward existed for me.

I didn't even realize that others were whispering about us as we moved around the dance floor. I didn't realize the song had changed three times. I didn't realize that we had inched so close to one another that our bodies were literally pressed against each other.

Someone cleared their throat, and I started. I looked around only to find Gabriel standing next to Edward, frowning at us. I blushed, and stepped down from Edward's feet.

"Will you dance with me?" Gabriel asked, giving me a small smile. I nodded my head, taking his hand, guilt overtaking me once more at how I'd practically been drooling over Edward while I was supposed to be Gabriel's date.

One night of happy memories. Just one night and I couldn't even do that.

I felt a wave of serenity and reassurance, and looked over at Jasper who was sitting at the reserved Cullen table, courtesy of Alice. I gave him a grateful smile and he winked. I would have giggled if it hadn't been for the fact that I still felt terrible.

Edward looked lost for a moment, his eyes flicking from Gabriel to me and back again, before he walked away. I think I heard Jessica asking him to dance and his polite decline.

I peered over Gabriel's shoulder at him. We moved further and further away from Edward's place at the table where all the Cullens were sitting. Soon we moved far enough for me to lose sight of him as other dancers blocked my view.

I looked up at Gabriel, whose eyes hadn't left him. His eyes were unreadable. We just swayed to the music in silence. "Bella," Gabriel spoke up suddenly. I looked at him. His eyes were as blue and as penetrating as the first time I saw them.

They didn't captivate me the way they used to, though. Another stab of guilt and pain.

"Will you walk with me for a while?" he asked, almost pleadingly.

I nodded, smiling slightly. He took my hand and led me outside. The exterior of the school had been decorated, too. Lights, streamers and banners were all over the place. We walked along the trees, not going into the woods.

Finally, we stopped walking. We were near the gazebo Edward and I used to sit under every now and then, just to talk or be together whenever we needed to avoid Mike and Jessica and the lurid thoughts that came with them.

Gabriel turned to look at me, his face betraying how nervous he was. "Bella," he said quietly. "Lately I've been feeling like I'm losing you."

I stared at him in shock. Had it been that obvious? Even to Gabriel? Well, Alice had always said how I was the worst liar in history, but I had just found out I was in love with Edward a week ago.

Maybe he was referring to how I'd been pulling away because of how I had to break up with him anyway. _Yes. It might not have anything to do with Edward, anyway_, I assured myself.

"I just wanted to say before I lose the chance. I love you," I froze at his words. It couldn't be true. He couldn't possibly love me. I knew we had been serious before, but he…Couldn't love me. Not when I had to let him go. Please, God, no.

He continued, unaware of the bout of tears building up in me. "I don't know what went wrong, if anything's wrong, but I want you to know that we could work things out…I want us to. I love you, Bella. I-I…Please say something," he pleaded, noticing that I had been gaping at him, my eyes wide and filling up in tears.

I was too much in shock. He loved me. How could this have even happened? Gabriel…Meant a lot to me. I was hoping that when I did break up with him, I wouldn't have to break his heart, too. At least, not as much as I would if he loved me.

What was I going to do now?

Gabriel took a step forward and cupped my cheek with his warm hand. I was still unable to move. My mind kept having flashes - of Edward.

Edward and I laughing together at the piano.

Edward sparkling under the sun.

Edward swimming with me.

Edward holding me close to him, trailing kisses up my neck.

Edward and I sneaking off behind Alice's back to escape her shopping rampage.

Edward and I.

I had loved being around Gabriel, but I couldn't stay with him. And apparently it looked like I couldn't spare his feelings, either.

I grabbed his hand that was on my cheek, squeezing it one last time, and then pulled it away from my face. "I'm sorry," I whispered, the tears falling down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Gabriel."

I turned away from him, the resigned look on his face etched onto my brain. I ran from him, stumbling a few times because firstly, I was so clumsy and secondly, my vision was blurred from the tears.

I had rushed away from Gabriel so quickly, I hadn't thought about how to get home. I couldn't even get myself to calm down and focus for a moment to figure it out. My thoughts were too frazzled.

"Bella!" I heard someone call my name. I turned around to find Alice rushing towards me. She had to use human speed because she didn't want to risk getting caught being so speedy.

She reached me, and wrapped her arms around me. I leaned into her, silent tears making their way down my cheeks. I wanted to sob but I couldn't do that in a public place. My embarrassment was kicking in.

She pulled me towards Jasper's Jag. I looked at her, puzzled. She smiled sadly at me and led me into the passenger seat. "He can ride home with the others," she said soothingly.

I really didn't notice much after that. I was crying too hard. I had broken Gabriel's heart - I saw it in his eyes, on his face, when I had told him 'I'm sorry'. How could I have done that to him?

When I opened my eyes after calming down a little, I was already on my bed, Alice right next to me. She had helped me out of my dress and into some PJs, removed my make-up and the pins in my hair and helped me into bed.

I crawled next to Alice and laid my head on her lap. She had already changed out of her dress so I didn't have to worry about ruining it and incurring her wrath.

Alice stroked my hair gently, and kissed my hair. "It's okay, Bella," she whispered soothingly. I gripped one of her hands tightly in mine and sobbed until I passed out for the night.

When I woke up the next morning, I was in the same fetal position as I was in last night, my head still on Alice's lap. I sat up on the bed and stretched, suppressing a yawn.

I looked at her guiltily. "Last night really happened, didn't it?" I asked sadly. "It wasn't just one of my freakishly vivid nightmares?"

Alice giggled a little but squeezed my hand reassuringly anyway. "No, angel. It really happened," she replied, telling me what I already knew. "I'm sorry."

I winced at the same time she did as her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I sighed, shaking my head. The way I left things with Gabriel left much to be desired. I had to go talk to him today, face to face, and apologize for the way I acted and for…Well, everything.

He deserved better.

Alice saw my decision and nodded her head. "I'll pick out your clothes for you," she offered. Only Alice would think of that at a time like this. "Fashionable but not too 'I'm-sexy-even-after-breaking-your-heart'. What do you think?" she asked, eyes shining but still sympathetic at the same time.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, Alice," I said dryly. I headed over to the bathroom but turned to give her a smile. "Thanks."

She nodded her head once and went to my wardrobe, flipping through the clothes. I thought I heard her mutter something about a shopping trip. I shuddered involuntarily.

******************************************************************************

I fidgeted in the blue sundress Alice had made me wear. I thought it was too 'I-could-care-less' but she'd told me to wear it or endure a non-stop weekend of shopping. I had no choice.

I dug around in my purse for my car keys. I wasn't looking where I was going and walked headfirst into Edward. I blushed, stumbling a little before he caught me.

"Good morning," he greeted me with his patented crooked smile.

I groaned inwardly. Did he have to be so damn gorgeous right now? "Morning," I replied. His eyes raked my outfit and he raised an eyebrow in question. "I, uh, I'm going to see Gabe," I stuttered.

His face fell and he looked away from me. "Oh," was all his sad, velvet voice said.

I realized that he must have thought I was going to reconcile with Gabe. I fumbled around with my words until I could form a coherent sentence.

"I…Have to apologize. You know, for last night. Because I never really…Said anything. I, well," I huffed in irritation at my lack of grace. "I just need to tell him goodbye."

Edward looked back at me, his face brightening up. He must have realized that he looked too happy for the occasion because he tried to look more solemn. "I'm really sorry you have to do that," he said.

I rolled my eyes. His grin was still intact on his face. "You look it," I commented dryly. He chuckled. My fingers finally found my keys and I held it up. "Well, I have to go…"

He waved and smiled at me. I walked out of the house and went straight for my McLaren.

The drive to Gabriel's house wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. He lived only a few miles from our isolated home. I saw him outside, sitting on the porch. His Audi was nowhere to be seen.

His pained eyes met mine for a brief instant as I climbed out of my car. "Gabriel?" I walked over to him. "Can we talk? Please?"

He sighed, and nodded his head, gesturing for me to sit down next to him. It hurt me that I had caused him so much pain. He really did mean a lot to me. He was an amazing friend, and a wonderful boyfriend. I shouldn't have hurt him like this.

I couldn't find the words, and ended up repeating what I'd said last night. "I'm sorry…"

He closed his eyes. "You said that before," he said harshly, before sighing again and giving me an apologetic look.

I bit my lip. "I know. And I meant it. I never meant to hurt you, Gabe. I…Really do care for you. Things just aren't the same for me anymore. I don't know why…I never saw this coming," I said honestly.

Our break-up I had anticipated from day one. I had pushed it out of my mind because I was having too much fun with him, but I knew it had to happen. I would be a vampire before my eighteenth birthday - our relationship had to end before then.

But falling in love with Edward was completely unexpected.

He turned to look at me, revealing just how hurt he was. I flinched. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.

I looked down at my lap. "You were so excited about the dance. You were so happy. I couldn't take that away from you. I figured…We could have one last night together, Gabriel and Bella, before I had to say goodbye. I already promised you I would go with you…" I trailed off uncomfortably.

He didn't say anything. When I looked up, he was still staring at me, the hurt so plainly evident in his cloudy blue eyes. His eyes that had made me fall for him in the first place. "Gabe…You were very important to me. You still are. You…Were wonderful to me. Whichever girl you choose to be with, she's the lucky one."

Gabriel sighed, defeated. He attempted a small smile for me. "I'm going to Australia," he announced. I looked at him, surprised. "I already talked about it with Dimitri. Forks is too rainy to be adventurous," he joked.

I laughed. "I'm glad you're living out your dream of seeing the world, then, Gabriel," I told him, smiling.

He reached forward and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in the crook of his neck. He smelled like apples and a musky scent that I supposed was masculine. I smiled against his skin. If not romantically, I really did love Gabriel as a friend.

I pulled back and pressed my lips to his warm cheek. "You really did show me how I should live my life, Gabe. You showed me that it should be exciting and wonderful and fearless…You gave me a lot. I'll always be thankful to you," I squeezed his hand one last time and stood up. "And I'm sorry."

I was halfway to my car when Gabriel called me back. I turned around, frozen in place.

He had stood up, too, and was staring right at me. He looked halfway between pained and curious. He was practically tipping over as he stood on his toes in anticipation. "Is there someone else?"

I bit my lip. How would I even answer that?

He understood my silence, though and rocked back on his heel. "It's Edward." It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

My eyes filled up with tears as I watched the damage I had done to my friend. "Goodbye Gabriel," I said sadly, and walked back to my car.

He let me leave without another word.

I watched him in my rearview mirror, seeing him for the last time, until he disappeared from my view.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

"Edward!" Bella complained, her arms and legs tightening around me as I ran. I had pulled her out of her room and dashed out of her window at top speed.

It was nearing twilight now - perfect timing for my plan to work.

The dance had been nine days ago. The memory of her in that blue dress had haunted me every single day since then. She had looked so beautiful…

Her dress flowed gracefully to her knees, her mahogany hair cascading in soft curls down her back. Her brown eyes had captivated me to a point where it was impossible not to touch her.

I had almost lost my self-control and kissed her right there and then on the dance floor if it hadn't been for Jasper.

The dress, the coy smile, that husky 'hi' she had said to me…I remembered Alice's vision only after she had left the house. It was _me _she had been playing coy with. It was _me _she had been blushing for.

To think I had disapproved of Alice's vision when I first saw it all those years ago.

Rosalie had told me to take my time since Bella had been heartbroken at having to hurt her friend that way. Alice, however, told me that tonight was the perfect time to tell her.

Tell her. As if she didn't already know.

Of course, I hadn't actually said those three little words to her. I supposed it could get confusing, especially after everything that had happened. Jasper told me she was insecure about my feelings for her.

Nine days had gone by. 216 hours. 12960 minutes. 777600 seconds.

It was more than enough time. It was definitely enough to drive me insane.

She asked me again where we were going but I only laughed. I wanted it to be a surprise. "You'll see when we get there, Bella," I tried sounding stern but the laughter was evident in my voice. I think my anxiety over her reaction was affecting me.

We reached the meadow, but I stopped before she could catch a glimpse of it. She looked confused because I suddenly stopped and pulled her off my back. She looked around the darkness surrounding us and raised an eyebrow at me. "Why did we stop here?" she asked, puzzled. "Is this the part where you pull out a ritualistic knife and kill me?"

I barked out a laughter that sent an owl flying away, hooting in surprise. I shook my head at her absurdity. "We're going to have to monitor your viewing habits," I teased. "I have something to show you, but you have to cover your eyes."

She giggled. "Doesn't that contradict your other statement?" she asked, closing her eyes anyway.

I swept her up into my arms and she squealed in surprise, her eyes flying open. "Eyes closed," I demanded. She closed her eyes and slapped her hand over her lids. I walked to the meadow at vampire speed, a light breeze blowing through her hair.

I brought her to the middle of the meadow and set her on her feet. I released her, picking something off the ground and hiding it behind my back with both hands.

She was wrinkling her nose, smiling as she took in the sweet scent surrounding us.

"Open your eyes, Bella."

She opened her eyes and gasped as she looked around her. I had placed candles all over the grass. It was damp enough and windless enough to not catch fire. I had scattered the green ground with forget-me-nots, gardenias, freesias, red tulips and roses.

I had done my research. I knew the meaning of each of these flowers, just like I knew Bella would know. It was why she was looking around her, gaping at them as her eyes filled with tears.

Forget-me-nots signified true love.

Gardenias for secret love and sweet love.

Freesias for her scent and for her innocence.

Red tulips for declaration of love.

The coral and orange roses for passion and desire.

She turned her gaze slowly towards me, her wide brown eyes meeting my golden orbs. "Edward?" she whispered, stunned.

I pulled her over to sit down on the blanket I had placed in the middle of the meadow with one hand, the other still behind my back. Once we had both sat down, I brought out what I was hiding, cupping it in both my hands.

I held it out for her.

A single full bloom red rose. That meant 'I love you'.

She stared at it, long and hard, and I saw tears starting to spill over onto her cheeks. "Bella," I said softly. "I love you."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_Wasn't that just an evil place to stop? LOL. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Not to mention the confession takes up a lot of space and this is already too long. 30 pages, ladies and gentlemen, and 13 387 words. I have never been this exhausted in my life - not to mention the cramps in my fingers._

_At least you know next chapter is the confession._

_To Shants, did you like the car Jasper__'__s driving??_

_P.S. Wow, that was a lot of reviews! I went to sleep for 7 hours and when I woke up, my inbox was flooded! Not that I'm complaining. Flattered, really. Impressed, definitely. Thank you very much for all the reviews._

_Happy reading and please review._

_Thank you!_

_Juliet._


	39. Confessions and Rules

_**A/N:**__ Confession time! I'm sorry this took, like, a day…LOL. I just couldn't type faster. And, you know, SO over typing a 30-pages-long chapter! I had to sleep for a day to get over the exhaustion. BTW, it was flattering, and amusing at the same time to see you guys get all anxious when I didn't post for a few days. Anyway, enjoy._

_P.S. In the last chapter, those flowers really did mean those things I wrote. It's freaky but I love the language of flowers._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

_She turned her gaze slowly towards me, her wide brown eyes meeting my golden orbs. "Edward?" she whispered, stunned._

_I pulled her over to sit down on the blanket I had placed in the middle of the meadow with one hand, the other still behind my back. Once we had both sat down, I brought out what I was hiding, cupping it in both my hands._

_I held it out for her._

_A single full bloom red rose. That meant 'I love you'._

_She stared at it, long and hard, and I saw tears starting to spill over onto her cheeks. "Bella," I said softly. "I love you."_

At this, her head snapped up and she gasped. Her lower lip started to tremble as more tears made their way down her cheeks. I smiled, reaching over to wipe at the corners of her eyes. With trembling hands, Bella took the rose from my hands and cradled it in her own.

I cupped the sides of her face with my hands and leaned my forehead against hers. Closing my eyes, I breathed in her sweet scent. There was a slight burn in the back of my throat, but it didn't take over me. I was controlling myself without even trying.

"I'm so…Confused," Bella said finally.

I frowned, looking down into her eyes. They were tinged pink slightly because she had been crying. "What are you confused about?" I asked her softly.

A shudder ran through her body and her eyes darkened slightly. Desire. I grinned at the blush covering her cheeks.

Bella shrugged slightly, clearing her throat to regain some of her control. "I just feel overwhelmed, I suppose. I didn't really understand…With everything that happened these few weeks. And now…"

She looked at me, her eyes studying my face as if she was waiting for me to say this was all a dream.

I shook my head, taking the flower from her and placing it next to her on the blanket. I took both of her hands in mine and rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hands. "I'm in love with you, Bella. You…Are my everything. My heart, my soul, my entire existence," I told her sincerely.

I bit my lip, hesitating before saying the next part. I wasn't sure if I should or if it would hurt her if I said it.

I needed to get it all out, though, so I took a deep breath and spoke again. "I realized I was in love with you when we made up after Maria's attack," I admitted. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. I chuckled when I realized that she had stopped taking in her much needed oxygen supply.

I leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "Breathe, Bella," I whispered. Her eyes glazed over, and her heartbeat sped up. She parted her strawberry lips and sucked in the air, though, so I smiled.

"When you…When Gabriel came to Forks," I let my eyes fall to the blanket, unable to meet her eyes. "This heart…It breaks every time I see you with him, it hurts to not be with you. I wanted to kill him or get him deported at the very least. Every time I saw him with you, I wanted to take you away and never give you back."

Bella was silent. I must have scared her, saying things like these. Maybe I hadn't been so clear on my feelings. Maybe I was overwhelming her even more.

Maybe this really was too soon for her, after everything that had happened with Gabriel. As much as I hated to admit it, he meant a lot to her.

I bit my lip and continued, "I just wanted you to know that I'll wait for you if you need the time. I'll wait forever if that's what you want." I finally looked up into her eyes and pleaded, "Just don't run from me, please."

Bella simply stared at me, a new bout of tears spilling over. With a shaky hand, she reached out and touched my face. I leaned into her warmth, my eyes fluttering close as she traced every inch of my face. She felt so soft to the touch.

Her fingers were at my mouth, tracing lightly over my lips. I took hold of her hand by the wrist, and kissed her fingers one by one, gently. I brought my lips to her wrist and inhaled deeply.

My eyes finally fluttered open and I looked at her. I couldn't help but be expectant of her answer.

Bella closed her eyes, and she attempted to even out her breathing. When it didn't work, she gave up and opened her eyes again.

Her smile would have brought me to my knees had I not been sitting down. That was when I knew her answer.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Here I was, sitting next to the most beautiful creature alive, surrounded by candles and flowers and all I could do was cry.

I couldn't stop myself.

I felt so happy, but so guilty at being this happy after everything that had happened at the dance. Gabriel had already left for Australia, but we hadn't left things at a particularly good note. I felt bad for it.

I felt anxious about what was to happen next, but in a good way. Then I remembered everyone at home, and became afraid of it.

Edward started to ramble about how he understood if I needed time. I had never seen him so utterly…Nervous. It brought me back down to earth. Hard.

What on earth was I doing? The man - or rather, the vampire - of my dreams was confessing his love to me and I was just sitting there, crying and making him feel uncomfortable.

So I sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm my wild heart. When it wouldn't listen, I gave up and settled for just telling him everything I felt.

I opened my eyes and gave him the biggest smile. I couldn't help that, either. He blinked once at me, a look of hope and disbelief crossing his flawless features one after another. If I hadn't been so nervous, I would have laughed at how comical he looked.

I cupped the side of his face with my hand and lightly brushed at his cold skin. It felt amazing against my fiery skin. "Edward," I beamed at him. "I love you, too."

I had been in love with him for as long as I could remember. I remembered having my first crush on him when I was eight. I remembered waking up to him after having a particularly horrible nightmare.

I remembered the first time I realized how much my heart fluttered around him. I remembered the moments we shared together when we first came to terms with our attraction to one another.

And I remembered the exact moment I realized I was in love with him.

Edward gave me his crooked smile, but it was wider somehow, happier.

Before I could even blink, he had closed the gap between us. The force of his embrace knocked me backwards and I laughed. Edward grinned, and shifted until I was in a comfortable position.

He leaned over me, and I gasped at the intensity in his eyes. He was still holding one of my hands, and he raised it above my head, holding our entwined fingers to the ground. He leaned in closer, and my heart started to pound like I had been running a marathon.

I whispered his name as his lips slowly descended on mine. I gasped into his kiss. We hadn't actually kissed on the lips since that night at the Reflection Pond. The intensity of it, the electricity I felt humming between our bodies, was too overpowering. I felt like I was about to burst just in the sheer presence of him.

Our lips moved together as one. My free hand ran up his chest, and slid into his thick bronze hair. It felt so soft and so…Welcoming. I tangled my fingers in it and pulled him in deeper into our kiss. I didn't want him to let go of me, or stop what he was doing.

Edward pulled back slightly and I moaned, wanting him to get closer. I blushed as I realized what I had just done. He smiled, pressing a kiss to my collarbone. The feel of his cool lips on my flesh made my somewhat calming heart to burst out into overdrive again.

I flushed deeper, but Edward's lips curved into a smile against my skin. His lips trailed up to my pulse point, and further up to my jaw. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted you?" he whispered against my lips.

I shuddered, my free hand gripping the front of his shirt and my trapped one struggling to get free. Edward reached for my free hand and pinned it down on the other side of my head. His lips sucked my bottom lip very softly.

Good God, the man could give me a heart attack just by kissing me. I smiled suddenly. He was kissing me. _Edward _was kissing _me_. That sounded - and felt - so amazing.

I expected Edward to remark on my smile but he was too distracted. His lips left a painful burning trail as he kissed down my throat. He inhaled my scent then made his way further down.

I felt my eyes rolling back into my head, and a loud moan escaped my lips. I didn't even have the thought to blush. I was too caught up with his mouth on my skin. I arched into him, making him groan. His hands released mine as he slid them under me. His cool hands slowly ran from my shoulder blades, down my back and further down to the back of my thighs.

I was either hyperventilating or having a cardiac arrest or both. I gripped at his shirt, nearly going mad with the emotions surging through me. The love I felt for him flowed freely between us. There were no reservations now. I loved him, and he loved me.

It had never been this right.

When he pulled away from kissing me, he only did it to give me time to calm down. I needed to breathe - something that I forget every time he touched me. He didn't move an inch away from me, though, and for that I was thankful.

I started to breathe again after a minute or so, and stayed still for a moment. I still had a lot to talk to him about. I had a lot to apologize for.

I looked straight into his topaz eyes, and teared up. He reached out with one hand and stroked my cheek lovingly. That only served to make my tears spill over.

Edward started to panic. "What is it, Bella?" he asked, worried.

I shook my head. "I don't deserve you," I whispered, closing my eyes. I had gone around denying my feelings for him all the while falling deeper in love with him. I had forced myself to look the other way and ended up hurting the both of us, and then some.

If I had just confessed, even if it was only to myself, then maybe things wouldn't be so complicated. Maybe I wouldn't have hurt my friend. Maybe…

Edward leaned down and kissed my tears away. My arms around him tightened. "I'm so sorry, Edward," I whispered. "I should've just…Admitted it. I'm sorry I ran. I never wanted to…"

He pressed his fingers to my lips, then replaced them with his lips. He pressed his lips gently on mine, the electricity shocking me once more, and pulled back to look me in the eyes. "You had to take the time," he assured me.

"Even up to moments ago, you were so confused. I was the moment I knew we were meant to be together… I had to learn to accept it first, and you did, too."

I brought one hand to his chest and caressed him through his shirt. "How can you still say this after I hurt you? After everything with Gabriel?" I asked, truly wanting to know.

A look of pain flashed through his eyes at the mention of Gabriel and I winced. I made a mental note never to mention him again. "Sorry," I whispered again, looking away. I hadn't even realized just how much I had hurt Edward. How could I have done that? How could I have been so blind?

"Look at me, Isabella," he commanded. A shiver shot through me when he called me by my full name. It meant that he was dead serious about something.

When I faced him, I had to bite my lip to keep from gasping.

His eyes had darkened. I saw the love, the desire, the soul in his eyes as they bore into me. The candles glowing around us only served to make it all the more intense.

Edward ran a hand lightly down the side of my body and I really did gasp, my eyes fluttering close of its own accord. I felt his lips pressing to my ear. "Open your eyes, Isabella."

I did so, and stared at him helplessly. I felt so weak when he held me this way.

He refused to spare me from the intensity of his gaze. "_This _is why I can still say this. I understand why you needed to be with him. I understand the time you needed to sort it all out. If you hadn't, you might not even realize it now. I have you now, and I'm never letting you go. You are my life now, Bella. Never doubt that."

I tugged at his shirt. I was too speechless for words and too caught up in the passion of his words to care. I needed him. I wanted him. I had to have him.

Edward must have either sensed how wild my feelings were driving me, or he felt the same way. He bent down and caught my lips with his. He moved slowly above me, sliding his hand into my hair. When I arched myself into him, his free hand pressed on the small of my back and held me to him.

I grasped at him desperately, running my hands along his back, and to his front, trying to feel as much of him as I could.

The sky had darkened completely, but I didn't mind it. The way Edward was touching me had driven all sensible thought out the window. All I wanted was to stay with him like this all night. And all day tomorrow. In fact, all I wanted was to stay with him like this forever.

My perfect piece of heaven.

Edward's lips found mine again, and he gently bit down on my lower lip. My eyes flew open in surprise but he only smiled at me. I blushed and pulled back slightly, needing the air. Edward trailed little kisses down my neck. He playfully nibbled at my skin, sucking and biting alternatively.

I pulled him closer, but my mind was starting to think of my family back home. I needed to know if they were going to be angry with us. I needed to know if they would be alright with this. I wasn't planning on letting Edward go, either.

"Edward," I called out. My voice was breathy and husky instead of clear and strong. I cleared my throat and tried again, but it didn't work. I decided to just ask him. "Are we…Allowed to do this?" I asked, my voice sounding strangled even to my own ears.

"Hmm?" Edward murmured. Since his lips were against my skin, a tremor shot through me. "What do you mean?" he asked, kissing me in between words.

I laughed. He wasn't even paying attention. I tugged at his hair until he looked into my eyes. He grinned my favorite crooked smile, crawling back up so that we were eye to eye. He leaned his weight on his elbows on either side of me.

Without even thinking, I unbuttoned his first two buttons and pulled the shirt so that I could see the little bit of his bare chest. I trailed little aimless shapes and figures on the smooth plane, and felt him shiver.

I smiled, and continued. "What will the others think of this?" I asked, eyebrows furrowing together at the thought of what was waiting for us at home.

Instead of answering, Edward groaned, dropping his head to my shoulder. He breathed in and out heavily before lifting his head. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from his chest. "If you actually want me to answer or listen to your question for that matter," he growled. "You're going to have to stop doing that."

I couldn't help laughing at the half-tortured, half-pleasured look on his face. He scowled at my amusement until I controlled myself. Then a smile flitted across his face. "Are you worried about the family?"

When I nodded my head, he laughed. "You don't have to worry about that. They've been waiting for this to happen," he told me. At my bewildered look, he chuckled again and started to explain.

Apparently, Alice has had visions of the two of us falling in love with one another since the very beginning. They didn't even tell Edward until when I was thirteen. That was the time he decided to stay away from me. He wanted to protect me from this life.

"I knew that if there was even the slightest chance that you could be saved from becoming a monster, my falling for you would change that. We would never let each other go, and you would ultimately be damned, like me," he said quietly. "I wanted to protect you. What I didn't know was that I already loved you. It just took time for that love to grow into this. And it just took time for the both of us to realize it."

I let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. All of that time…He'd known he would fall in love with me. Paris, my birthday, all that time he ignored me and favored Tanya… He knew.

And I thought finding out he'd been in love with me since Maria attacked was big news.

I rolled my eyes. "Alice could have just told me," I said, pouting. "That would have saved me a lot of headaches."

Edward laughed, and kissed my pouting lips. "Well, she didn't think so. And you can never contradict the psychic," he reminded me.

I sighed. Of course not. I frowned as I thought about the visions, and our future. "Wait, so… What does it mean? That Alice saw us falling in love so far back? Is this just a ploy fate has in stored or something?"

He shook his head, kissing my cheek gently. I blushed. He didn't seem to be able to stop himself from touching me in some way every now and then. Not that I minded. At all. "Alice saw it so far back because our love is inevitable. Can you feel how strong it is?" he whispered.

I nodded my head, entranced by the beauty of him. He was _glowing _in the light emanating from the candles.

Edward smiled gently at me. "Visions and fate has nothing to do with it. This love involves only you and me. Our hearts, our feelings, our love. Not anything or anyone else," he said firmly.

"So everyone's alright with it?" I asked. He nodded his head, and leaned down to trail kisses down my neck. "Carlisle and Esme…They wouldn't want to kill you, would they?" He shook his head slightly against my skin, not breaking contact. "And Rosalie?"

His lips froze on my skin and he pulled back slightly. His eyes were wary. I groaned inwardly. I knew it. If Rose reacted so badly to Gabriel, she would react ten times as worse with Edward.

Edward's hands immediately cupped my face, and he stroked my cheeks lovingly. "Bella, it'll be alright," he assured me. "Carlisle and Esme will be pleased that we have found one another at last. Rosalie…Would be tougher. But true love can't be defeated, Bella. Not even by overly protective mothers."

Despite the situation, I laughed. "I'd like to hear you say that to Rose's face," I joked.

He pretended to be horrified. "Only on the day I decide to be suicidal," he teased back. We collapsed on each other, Edward careful not to crush me with his weight, shaking with laughter.

I felt a slight chill. I had come all the way here with just my t-shirt and one of the shorts I wore to bed. Edward noticed this and ran a finger down my bare arm. "Do you want to go home?" he asked.

Go home? And leave every single detail of his perfect confession behind? Never. If I could, I would stay here forever. I knew that was impossible, but I at least wanted to stay for a little while more.

I shook my head and brought him closer for another kiss. I could never get enough of him.

Edward smiled into our kiss. I felt his tongue sweeping my bottom lip, and parted my lips to grant him entrance. I gasped at the sweet taste of him. His cold tongue made it feel like I was sucking on a very sweet candy.

I gasped when I felt his hands slipping under the short t-shirt I was wearing, his fingers caressing my bare back. As his hands inched higher, my t-shirt bunched upwards.

My trembling hands made their way to the front of his shirt and I started to un-do the buttons that were still intact. I pushed the fabric down his shoulders, eager to feel the hard muscles of his torso. I ran my hands down his neck to his marble chest.

Edward bit down on my collarbone, careful not to break the skin, and I gasped, arching into him. His hands were tugging my shirt upwards-

The phone rang. The both of us groaned, our eyes snapping open. Why did I have a strange feeling of déjà vu?

We reached for our phones - both his and mine were ringing. The Caller ID read Alice. I rolled my eyes, sharing a look with Edward. We answered at the same time. "You do _not _want to do _that_!" she yelled into the phone, making me cringe at the volume of her voice.

I blushed as I realized that Alice had seen us…Making love. She had seen our decision, our unspoken agreement. I caught Edward's eyes. He, too, looked abashed, but he was grinning from ear to ear. I blushed even harder and looked down.

"At least, not tonight…" she sang out, giggling. "Will you come home, already? I need to talk details with Bella."

At this, I groaned, closing my eyes and shaking my head as I thought of the torture she would put me through.

Edward laughed, then took on a serious tone. "Not tonight, Alice. It's late," he said firmly.

Alice snorted. "Did you tell that to your hormones?" she quipped.

Both Edward and I shut our phones off and threw them to the ground. He sighed as he rested his head on my chest, hearing my heart beat. "I suppose she's right," he murmured. "We really should be heading back."

I tightened my grip around him, knowing it would do nothing. "Do we have to?" I whined.

Edward chuckled and nodded his head. He lifted his head but kissed the spot above my racing heart through my shirt. "I promise we'll have plenty of time to catch up," he grinned, kissing me one last time before standing up.

He went around the meadow and blew out the candles. I couldn't see a thing in the darkness, but Edward scooped me up bridal style and carried me through the forest. I knew he was running at vampire speed because I could feel the wind rushing through my hair.

As we reached the house, I grew more anxious. "Can't we just hide in Mexico?" I mumbled into Edward's shirt.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Where did you even _get _that?" he asked. "Rosalie would kill us if we ran away." Seeing my apprehension, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I promise it'll be alright, Bella."

Edward tried to be sneaky, and dashed up the side of the house, and climbed into my window. As soon as I was on the bed, though, the door burst open and Alice waltzed in, beaming.

She stopped short and glared at Edward, "You do know we could hear her heartbeat from a mile away, right?" He shrugged, and I pouted.

Alice jumped onto the bed and tackled me, making me squeak out in surprise as her pixie arms tangled around me. "See. I told you! Well, I didn't tell _you_," she told me. "But I told _you_!" she squealed to Edward, who promptly rolled his eyes.

Rosalie stormed in, followed by Emmett with a camera and Jasper who was grinning like an idiot. Thank God Carlisle and Esme didn't tag along. I supposed they were the only sane ones in the house.

Before I knew it, Rosalie had pried Alice away from me and lifted me off the bed. She brought me close to her and started sniffing me. "Ack!" I struggled against her. "Mother, what are you doing!?"

Rosalie glared at Edward. "Your scent is all over her!" she growled. "What did you do?"

I blushed a fiery red, thinking of what had happened back at the meadow. Emmett howled with laughter, and Jasper snickered. Rosalie dropped me, and I would have fallen to the ground and hit myself if Alice hadn't caught me.

Rose stepped towards Edward, her fists clenching at her sides. "She's sixteen years old!" she roared at him.

Surprisingly, Edward didn't move a single muscle. He didn't even flinch. If Rose had been yelling at me like that, I would have ran all the way to the next state. "Rosalie," he said calmly. "Bella and I didn't do anything like that. I just told her I loved her, and she confessed, as well. That was all."

Well, if he considered what we did as nothing, I'd love to see his idea of 'something'. I shook my head slightly. Where on earth did that thought come from? It sounded like something that would have came out of Emmett's head rather than mine.

Rosalie didn't seem to believe Edward as she stepped even closer. "I told you no…_Doing stuff_!" she yelled at him.

I interrupted before this turned out to be a full blown argument. "If I said I'm not a child, would it make a difference?"

"No," Rosalie growled.

"That's what I thought."

Jasper chuckled and said, "Rose, believe me. They didn't do anything." She gave him a questioning look. "Sexual frustration - check."

That didn't calm her down at all, but it did embarrass me into the next century. I didn't think it could get any worse. Until Emmett decided to open his mouth, of course. He stuck the video camera in my face and asked in a radio DJ's voice, "How does it feel to be mildly sexually active with our very own Eddie?"

I groaned, slapping a hand on my face. "Is it possible to die of humiliation?" I asked Jasper.

He put on a thoughtful look. "No. But we're very close to it now," he said, alluding to his empath power.

There was a knock at the door and Esme stepped inside. "Alright, that's enough, children. Bella needs her sleep now. We'll discuss this tomorrow, when we're not as wired," she said sternly.

I sighed in relief. Emmett and Jasper went out first. Rosalie glared for a few more moments at a calm Edward before stomping out of the room. Alice kissed my cheek and danced out the door. Esme came inside and hugged me tightly. "Congratulations," she laughed, kissing my forehead.

I blushed and she released me, heading out the door. "Say goodnight and go to your own room, Edward. Neither Rosalie nor I, for that matter, will be pleased if you stay in here tonight," she informed Edward, who nodded his head.

"Of course," he said, quite the gentleman.

Once she was gone, I turned to Edward, eyebrows raised. "Okay, how did you not quake in fear?" I asked him incredulously. "Rose was just about ready to tear your head off."

Edward chuckled. "I won't answer that question when she's anywhere near hearing range," he said.

I burst out into giggles. "You _were _afraid, weren't you?" I said between my snickers. "What, did Jasper have to calm you down?"

He looked sheepish as he said, "I might have asked him beforehand to make me calm when facing Rosalie…" When I laughed again, he scowled at me. "You try having her growling at you like that."

I shook my head. "Only when I'm suicidal," I choked out.

Edward grinned and leaned forward. My heartbeat sped up as he leaned in and captured my lips in a kiss. He made to pull back, but I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. He fell on top of me, but kept his weight off of me by holding himself up with his elbows. I wrapped my legs around his middle in an attempt to press him further closer to me.

"_GET OFF MY DAUGHTER_!"

I jumped, gasping, as did Edward. We shared a look. I couldn't help laughing at the fearful look on his face. He scowled at me before joining me in my laughter.

Edward pressed his lips gently to mine before pulling back. "I really should leave before Rosalie comes in here with a lighter. I'll see you tomorrow, love," he whispered. My heart fluttered as he called me that and I couldn't help the goofy smile spreading on my lips.

He kissed me again once, and pushed himself off the bed. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Night, Edward," I sighed, closing my eyes as I thought back to everything that had happened tonight. It all seemed surreal to me.

I kept waiting for a killer clown to come out of the closet and scream, "Just kidding!" I kept waiting to wake up to a less than perfect reality.

I fell asleep in the same position I was in, a smile on my lips as I thought of Edward.

He was in love with me. Me. Isabella Hale. He loved me. My heart felt like it was going to explode.

Finally, I have found my one, true love.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

I could hear Bella in her bathroom, and rolled my eyes. Finally. The time humans take to sleep… Ridiculous. I had gotten so close to banging on her door and just shaking her awake. I would have, too, if Emmett hadn't been holding me back.

It was seven in the morning, on a Saturday morning. I was finally going to talk to both her and Edward. She was my daughter, after all. I had a right to do so.

Edward was already in the kitchen downstairs, preparing breakfast for her. I supposed now he was going to get all 1900s gentleman on her. I rolled my eyes again and huffed.

Truthfully, I couldn't think of a better person to be with Bella. He would respect her, take care of her and love her with all his heart. And she was already so deeply in love with him, as he was with her.

But she was still a sixteen year old girl. A child. She was young and naïve and so full of youth. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I didn't want her to be heartbroken.

I wanted her happy all the time.

That was the only reason I hadn't ripped Edward to shreds. I wasn't stupid. I knew they did more than confess their love to one another. His scent was practically mixed into one with her. I could smell the arousal on her last night.

All the while, two voices screamed in my head. One was telling me to be reasonable. Bella was old enough to make her choice. They loved each other. It was only natural to want that. Besides, they were soul mates. This wasn't just a silly fling. They cared deeply for one another. It was going to happen at some point.

The other voice panicked. It was all going too fast - at least for me. I wanted Bella to have her innocence intact. I wanted her to continue being my baby girl. That wasn't going to happen if she was running around having sex with Edward.

Sex. The word sounded disgusting to me now. Who would have thought?

I walked out of my room to head downstairs and wait for Bella. I heard Alice pleading with Bella to do her hair and make-up.

"It's a Saturday, Alice. I'm not even going out of the house!" Bella protested.

I smirked to myself. Some things would never change.

"Please?" Alice pleaded. "I just want you to look nice for Edward…"

Her answer was so soft that I barely heard her. "Fine."

The smile slipped from my face. She was willing to dress up and play Bella Barbie with Alice for Edward? She really must care for him.

I sighed. I knew their relationship was strong. I saw it grow before my very eyes throughout the years. But this was different. They weren't just coming to terms with their emotional love. They were exploring their physical love.

I didn't know if I should say 'this is your choice' or ground her for a month.

When I went into the kitchen, I was greeted by the strangest sight. Emmett was video taping Edward as he cooked, but the moody vampire himself was too busy smiling to care. Jasper was drinking out of a hunting flask as he watched in amusement. He had taken to drinking out of that thing lately because of Bella's empowering scent. He had the most trouble. I thought Edward would, because her scent was too alluring for him. But I supposed now that he's got her body to keep him distracted…

Edward looked up and stared at me. "It's not like that, Rosalie, and you know it," he said, flashing a glare at me.

I glared right back at him. "I'm the mother. You're the guy dating my daughter. I have a right to be as pissed off as I want," I informed him snippily.

Edward sighed and got back to making whatever the hell he was making. I heard Bella's footsteps and her heartbeat growing louder as she approached the kitchen. Alice's scent also grew stronger, which meant she was with Bella.

Bella took one look at Edward and snorted in laughter. "Nice apron," she commented dryly.

Edward grinned sheepishly and looked down at the apron he was wearing. It said 'bite me' on it. "Uh, Alice got it for me," he admitted. He looked like he would blush if he could.

Bella came around the counter to give him a hug. "Hmm," she murmured, reaching up on her toes to kiss him.

I cleared my throat loudly. When they didn't stop, I slammed my hand on the counter loudly. The marble cracked, making it sound like thunder. Bella jumped and nearly fell backwards but Edward caught her around the middle. She blushed as he righted her into a standing position.

Bella noticed Emmett and the camera and rolled her eyes. "Do you have to document that?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

He nodded his head eagerly. "Yes. That was your first fall as Edward's mate," he said, as if this was all some big occasion.

I stepped forward. "Speaking of the whole 'mate' thing-"

Bella cut me off. "Okay, first of all, that sounded like we're a bunch of animals or something. It's sick and wrong - no offense," she cracked a humorous smile at us. I think Emmett's sense of humor really did one on her.

"And secondly, did we forget the whole 'Emmett-scarring-me-for-life' incident?" she asked, shuddering at the thought of when she learned where babies came from. "Isn't that enough torture for a lifetime? Or two?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I wasn't going to go down that road," I told her. It would have been too awkward for me to start talking about sex with her. I still viewed her as my little girl. "I'll leave that to Carlisle and Esme," I said, making the relief on her face turn into horror.

"I was going to lay down the rules-"

"Again!?" Bella groaned, sitting on a stool at the kitchen isle, opposite Jasper. He chuckled and gave us all a round of serenity. It did nothing for me.

I placed my hands on my hips and glared at her. "You haven't even seen tough love, Rosalie style. Don't make me unleash my motherly nature on you."

Bella sighed. "If we have to do this, could you quit the theatrics and get on with it?" she asked, dropping her head in her hands.

I took in a deep breath and started. "No sleeping in the same room-"

"I don't sleep," Edward quipped. He and Bella burst out into laughter, like a pair of lovesick teenagers.

I slapped my palm on my forehead. They were going to drive me crazy. "No doing anything in the same room together. No beds, no couches, no floors…" I thought about it. They could still do it standing up. "You know what, just stand. Two feet apart. No going at it against the wall, either-"

"Mom!" Bella cried, covering her face with her hands.

But this was important! Emmett and I had done it plenty of times that way. "No, no, see, 'cuz that's possible-"

"I do _not _need to hear this!" Bella said, clapping a hand over her ears.

I started to pace, one arm wrapping around my waist, the other hand tapping my chin thoughtfully. Had I left anything out? "No make-out sessions. No touching-"

Bella sighed impatiently and interrupted me. "Mother," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice. I knew she only called me 'mother' when she was less than happy with how I was acting. I stopped pacing and looked at her. "That's not going to work if we're, y'know, _together_…" she pointed out, blushing in her Bella way.

I looked at her, long and hard. She was right. That wasn't going to work. They would have to touch and kiss and…I shuddered at the thought. Edward, reading my mind, chuckled lightly. I glared at him before rushing to Bella's side at vampire speed. "How do you feel about boarding school? In Switzerland? All-girls?"

Bella glared at me, her lips pursed into a thin line. She turned away from me and looked at Edward. "Did you make me breakfast or is there another human in the house?" she asked.

I tapped my foot impatiently.

Edward looked amused as he replied. "Not unless you can think of someone else who likes chocolate chip pancakes," he said.

Bella laughed. "How about everyone on the planet?"

Jasper made a face. "Excuse me, but I find it disgusting and I'm on the planet," he joked.

I groaned, and grabbed Bella by the shoulders, turning her around to face me again. "Bella," I whined.

"I'm not going to an all girls boarding school in Switzerland, mom," she said determinedly. "For God's sake, Alice had a vision of this like a decade ago. Shouldn't you be the one all calm and centered while I freak out?"

I shrugged, "It's not in the maternal handbook to be calm and collected when your daughter decides to get all sexually active."

Bella blushed and cringed. "Yeesh, don't ever say that. Sounds wrong coming from my own mother," she shuddered.

I harrumphed impatiently. "That's not the point, Bella-"

She held up her hand, stopping me. "No, the point is I'm growing up. I _am _grown up. I love Edward very much. You're going to have to deal with that. And, you know, didn't you raise me better than this? The least you could do is have a little faith in me," she said, looking slightly hurt.

I bit my lip, and pulled her into a hug. "I do trust you…I just don't trust hundred year old vampires who have been sexually repressed since birth."

Bella patted my back as she hugged me back. "How about you just trust me instead?" she suggested.

I thought about it. It could work…Except that Edward could be charming when he wanted to be. He never actually used it for personal pleasure, but I saw the way Bella looked at him all the time. I wasn't saying that he would con her into having sex. I was just saying that with the emotions building up in them, it was only a matter of time before they gave in, gentleman or no gentleman.

"How about if you just wait a hundred years?" I spoke up. "Even out the playing field?"

______________________________________________________________________________

_And so it begins…I've got fluff and I've got plot, all coming in together. It's chapter 39 now, and I've got until around chapter 51 ++ planned. I think I'll end it with her transformation, though that's just plain typical. I actually have a plot about her transformation which is slightly different and all, but it would require a sequel…Not sure if people would want that._

_To A vampire in converse, the links to my other stories are on my profile…I'm mostly focusing on this, Silly Bella and Taking Over Me (which I'll update soon). Funny that my writing is helping you cope because I'm going through a tough time too and writing is really giving me opportunity to let it all out. Hope it all works out for you!_

_To evanlouwho, will Edward and Bella ever make love in this story? I don't know…I was thinking, if they ever do in BH, I want Bella to be a vamp first. Lots of stories already have her as a human making love to Edward. Just want something else. But I don't know._

_Opinions anyone? Sequel or no sequel? Make love or no making love? Human and vampire or vampire and vampire? Married first or living in sin?_

_P.S. I know the confession was a lot less romantic and much more physical. Just what I thought would happen. Sorry if that wasn't how you wanted it. Oh, and there's one more chapter left before the 7 chapter arc thing so voting open only until January 2__nd__. Thank you!_

_Thanks for reading and please review._

_Juliet._


	40. We Need to Talk

_**A/N:**__ A lot of you asked about Renesmee being in this story or the sequel (which is a possibility at this point). I just have to say that even though I found her adorable (w/o Jacob), I still stick to no babies for this story. I just don't think it'll fit. Sorry for the Renesmee fans._

_P.S. About the questions I asked in the A/N last chapter, I already know the rough sketch on how it's all going to turn out. I don't even know if it's in one of your opinions or not, but BH future just got clearer because I read through your reviews. So thank you._

_As for the sequel, I actually have quite a lot planned. I think it would be great because it'll be very much like the Volturi attack/Maria's attack put together in different plot lines. But it all depends, really._

_Enjoy this chapter, and tell me what you think!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Jasper_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Carlisle's POV_

Rosalie had asked Esme and I to talk to Bella and Edward. Asked might have been a mild way to put it. Force was more like it.

Now here I was, sitting opposite the two of them. All four of us were incredibly uncomfortable.

Truth be told, I knew there was no reason to do this. Edward would never take that step with Bella before marriage - or even before her change, really. They might be slightly more intimate that their usual selves, but that was to be expected in a relationship.

Other than that, Rosalie nor Esme nor I had nothing to be worried about.

But Esme had agreed with Rosalie. We needed to at least lay down the laws. When I had protested, Esme had said that if it had been anyone else Bella was dating, I would have done the same. Hadn't I sat her down for an hour when she started dating Gabriel?

But Edward was different. He was a 1900s gentleman, not to mention he would never hurt Bella. I think he would gladly claw his eyes out first before harming her in any way.

Edward was taking Bella somewhere. We had to be quick about this. I think they planned it that way. Bella cleared her throat, blushing as she looked from Esme to me. "Are…You going to say anything?" she asked awkwardly.

I exchanged a look with Esme and then turned back to look at the newest couple in our family. I slowly nodded my head. "Well…I would just have to lay down some rules, I suppose," I begun. "No sleeping in the same room?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Rose already covered that," she informed me.

Well, Rosalie sure was protective of her daughter. I knew she considered Bella her own, so it really wasn't a big surprise.

I bit my lip. What was I supposed to say? Be home by eleven? I sighed, shaking my head. "Rosalie just wants to make sure that the two of you won't go to the next level," I said in a rush.

As I said this, Bella turned purple, and Edward just looked away from all of us, staring intently at the wall clock.

Bella sucked in a deep breath. "Well, that's…Intrusive," she said finally. "But, um, thank you?" she said, her eyebrows furrowing. I cracked a small grin. She, too, had no idea what to say to this.

Esme suddenly burst from her seat and enveloped Bella and Edward in a tight hug. "Oh, I'm just so happy!" she gushed. "You know, I've waited for this for years!"

Bella blushed while Edward coughed slightly, embarrassed. They hugged Esme back. When she wouldn't let go, Bella patted her back and said, "Mom. You're strangling me."

Esme pulled back, her pale face absolutely glowing, it seemed. "Sorry, dear," she giggled, smoothing Bella's hair down. "I'm just really happy you've found each other. It's only a mother's dream that her daughter finds her true love."

Bella snorted. "Maybe you should share that dream with Rosalie," she muttered under her breath. Esme, Edward and I burst into laughter and Bella smiled slightly.

Edward calmed himself and said, "Carlisle, Esme. You know I would never hurt Bella. I love her too much. I promise I will take care of her."

I beamed at him. "As I knew you would, son," I said proudly.

Bella glared at us. "First of all, I'm sitting right here. And secondly, I'm not a little girl. I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"Yes, you do," Esme, Edward and I countered simultaneously.

Bella rolled her eyes and stood up, clapping her hands together. "Okay, great. Now that we've got all that covered, can we go now?"

I started to panic. "Wait! Rose wants us to…Talk. About…Things," I cringed at the thought of it.

I never actually had to give that talk to Jasper and Alice and even Rosalie and Emmett. They were adults and fully responsible for their actions. Not to mention that they were each other's mates and it was an inevitability. It never bothered me that they were intimate.

But this was different because Bella was our child. Not to mention human and only sixteen. Even I was protective of her. But giving her a talk on sex with Edward? Not something I would rather be doing.

Edward took Bella's hand and they rushed to the door. Edward helped Bella put on her coat and pulled her towards the door. Bella called out to me over her shoulder, "I know, I know. Sex equals bad. Kiss, but no babies. To serve man is a cookbook. Love you, gotta go!"

Esme took her seat next to me once again and took my hand. We were both silent for a moment.

Then I turned to her and smiled slightly. "Well, that went well. Don't you think?"

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I was laughing as I ran, Bella on my back. "Edward, it's not funny!" she slapped my shoulder lightly, but she, too, was giggling.

The lengths Rosalie would go to protect her daughter were bordering ridiculous. An all-girls boarding school in Switzerland? A talk with Carlisle and Esme? I was glad she was Bella's mother and not mine, selfish as that was.

I stopped as soon as we were at the river, but far enough from the house. I found a large boulder and placed Bella on it, sitting next to her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and snuggled into me, resting her head on my chest.

I smiled contentedly, and wrapped my arms around her as well. I stroked her hair gently. She was quiet for the longest time. I kissed her hair, making her look up at me. I saw the worry in her eyes and frowned. I reached out and traced her eyes lightly. "What's wrong, Bella?" I asked softly.

Bella shrugged and made to turn away, but I held her gaze. Her eyes glazed over and her mouth hung open. I frowned deeper, and pulled back slightly. Bella blinked rapidly, and blushed, turning away. "You know it's unfair when you do that," she mumbled embarrassedly.

"Do what?" I asked, confused. I hadn't done anything but look at her.

Bella shot me an incredulous look. "Dazzle me," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh, come on, Edward," her tone grew exasperated. "You have to know the effect you have on people."

Was she referring to when I would use my enhanced looks to get whatever I needed from people? That was just something all vampires could do - it helped us get around unnoticed. And for the vampires who followed the original diet, it helped them lure their prey.

I had never done that to Bella, though. I had never tried it before. And 'dazzle'? She truly was an odd little human.

I laughed. "Dazzle?" I repeated.

Bella blushed harder, and nodded her head. I smiled widely. "Is that what that is? When you would start breathing faster, and your eyes become unfocused and your breathing speed up and your palms start to sweat?"

She looked at me like I had grown another head. "Okay, yes to the first three and 'ew' to the last one," she replied, making a face.

I ignored that, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. "I dazzle you?" I asked, a little too happy for her liking, apparently.

She blushed and looked down. "Frequently."

I laughed, tipping her head up by the chin and pressed my lips to her hers gently. I pulled back slightly and looked her directly in the eyes. I had never tried to dazzle her before, but it seemed to be working. Even her heartbeat sped up.

I smirked. "I'll be using that to my benefit," I informed her. Bella groaned and dropped her head back on my chest. "Now will you tell me what was bothering you or do I have to dazzle it out of you?" I teased.

"I shouldn't have told you that," she mumbled into my shirt.

I snorted. "I resent that. I would have figured it out sooner or later, Bella. I am an incredibly smart vampire, you know," I joked.

"More like Mr. Know-It-All," she shot back, laughing. She was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm just worried. About us; what others will think. I know I shouldn't. I just…I don't want them to think I move from one guy to the next without taking a breath," she said.

I felt my hands clenched into fists at the thought. I hadn't even given any thought to what the children at school would say. I knew teenagers could be brutal to one another. No doubt there were certain people in school who would be less than happy with Bella, and would be less than kind with their words.

Bella continued before I could say anything, "I don't mind if it's just me they're going to talk about." I stared at her in disbelief. She didn't care if they talked about her? Did she even know just how horrible they could be?

"But it's you, too. And our family," she added. Of course. _Martyr Bella strikes again_. She always cared for others before caring for herself. If she suffered, she chose to hide her pain and suffer in silence.

She bit her lip, hesitating, as if the next part of her confession would hurt me. I gestured for her to go on, and she did so reluctantly. "And…Charlie and Renee. I know they died a long time ago," she winced. "But I still don't want them to have anything to do with this. You know how everyone in Forks is like. Not to mention Lauren and her friends-"

I interrupted her before she could worry about it any more. "Bella," I said, taking her hand and kissing her palm lightly. "I will be there with you every step of the way. I know certain people would be harsh, but don't ever let them get to you. You and I are meant to be, and we both know it. If Charlie and Renee were alive, or if they could know this somehow, they would be glad to know that their daughter is happy," I said truthfully.

I knew my parents, if they were here or were listening in somehow, would be happy I found Bella.

My father would find her endearing. She was polite, too, and had the right amount of zest. That might not have gone so well in the 1900s, but my father would have found it entertaining.

My mother would have just been ecstatic that I'd met my soul mate. She was always anticipating it, and had ideas of how my true love would be.

She had always pictured me with a brunette - ironic, I knew. She'd said that my future wife would be beautiful, artistic, independent, strong, and would always know what was on my mind and how to make me feel better.

That was all Bella in a nutshell, and then some.

I sighed as I looked down at her smiling face. She was enjoying the sun, tracing patterns on my arm as diamond sparkles bounced off my hard skin.

She nodded her head against my chest. "I guess I am being silly," she said, abashed. "I was just kind of hoping to get through the rest of high school without any problems."

I laughed daintily, kissing her cheek. "How can that be for our very own danger magnet?" I teased.

She scowled at me, hating that nickname.

Jasper and I had come up with that when she had gone to the hospital for the fourth time in a month when she was eight. She had been running, trying to catch the ball she and her friends were playing with and had run straight into the path of an oncoming truck. Alice had seen the vision and Emmett had gotten there just in time.

We just sat there for a moment before Bella asked if we could swim in the river. I shrugged, smiling. It was a pretty sunny day. And if Bella grew cold, I could always run her back to the house in two minutes.

We stepped past the stones and shrugged off our clothes. She was already wearing a bikini inside. I laughed. I supposed that she had been prepared the moment I mentioned 'river'. She had become quite fond of swimming, really.

Before either one of us could jump in, I heard a familiar yell and something pushing me in. Bella screamed as she, too, plunged inside. We spun around to find Emmett grinning like an idiot at us.

"Emmett!" Bella yelled angrily, wiping at her eyes. "What was that for?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Rosalie asked me to check up on you, and I got bored. You know, you can kiss now," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Bella blushed, and ducked under the water. Emmett laughed, his shoulders shaking.

I frowned at him. "Would you just leave already?" I snapped at him.

He stuck his tongue out at me, and I rolled my eyes. He was standing close enough for me to splash him. He glanced down at the shirt he was wearing and his shoulders drooped. "Aw, hell," he grumbled. "Rose gave me this shirt.

He looked up at me, glowering, and pointed a finger at me. "Oh, it's on, Cullen!" He turned away and ran back in the direction of the house.

I crossed my arms over my chest. That was simply uncalled for! Rosalie asking Emmett to check in on us? I knew she was protective of Bella, but was this really necessary? She knew I would never hurt Bella.

Unless this was a different kind of worry. Was she afraid of the intimacy of Bella's and my relationship?

Truth be told, I had come very close to taking Bella, marking her as mine. Just take last night, for example. I would have taken her if Alice hadn't called.

That just wasn't the way I was raised. That wasn't the way I had wanted it to be. I wanted our first time to be special. While confessing our love to one another was a very special occasion, it had to be more than that.

I didn't want to go that far before marriage.

I already knew I was going to spend the rest of eternity with Bella. I would never let her go. I had never felt so…Euphoric. It was unbelievable.

And Alice already had the vision of Bella agreeing to marry me - after she'd said 'no' several times. I wondered why that was.

Whatever the reason, she would be my wife. I wanted to keep us both pure until our wedding night. It was just a better way.

We would, also, avoid Rosalie's wrath that way.

I ducked under the water, as well. Seeing Bella, I smiled and swam up to her. I gripped her around the waist and pulled her up to the surface. Her cheeks were still red with embarrassment.

She refused to look me in the eye. "Well, that was humiliating," she mumbled.

I chuckled, darting around in the water until I caught her eye. "It could be-"

She clapped a hand over my mouth and my eyes flew open in surprise. "Do not say the 'w' word," she said firmly. "Whenever someone says that, it usually does end up badly."

I nodded my head, to show her that I wouldn't say it, and she removed her hand. "Rose is just concerned about us," I tried to defend her. But my argument was weak considering I myself was half-hearted about it.

I knew Bella was human, fragile and young. I would never take advantage of her. In fact, I would never take advantage of anyone. Rosalie's motherly instincts had a way to go into overdrive sometimes.

Bella rolled her eyes. "No, Rose is just being overly protective. I'd have to talk to her soon," she sighed, shaking her head.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. "Don't worry, Bella. She's only doing this because she loves you. She'll loosen up at her own time," I assured her.

Bella was silent, but she moved her head to plant a kiss on my chest, right above my heart. I remembered her doing something similar at Reflection Pond.

I felt a shudder run down my spine. Bella smiled, running her hand down my back. I tilted her head up and crashed my lips down on hers. She responded with the same fervor, one hand sliding into my hair to pull me closer.

It took a lot of effort, but I pulled back slightly. I was trying to regain my control - which wasn't a good thing considering she was kissing down my neck, her fingers running through my hair.

I grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her away from me. I didn't let her move too far, though. I simply held her, just hugging her.

"Edward?" she asked, concerned. I felt myself calm down and smiled, opening my eyes. Bella was still worried. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing's wrong, Bella…" I bit my lip. I was going to have to tell her that I wanted to slow down.

While our actions were…Beyond pleasurable, I couldn't continue doing that much longer and still hold on to our purity until our wedding night. Unless our wedding night was tonight, of course.

Bella knew me well enough not to accept 'nothing' as an answer. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me softly. "Tell me, Edward," she pleaded, tilting her head to one side.

I looked into her eyes and was instantly trapped in her brown eyes. Her gaze was so incredibly… Electrifying.

I sighed, defeated. I would have to tell her. There was no escaping it. If I didn't, I would have to seem as if I was rejecting her every time we came close to it. I brushed the back of my hand on her cheek and she shuddered, biting her lip.

"Bella," I started. "I want to slow down," I said in a rush.

Her brows furrowed together, showing her confusion. I would have laughed out loud at how my statement could have been taken for anything, had I not been so nervous.

I leaned down and caught her lips in a sweet kiss. When I pulled back, she was smiling widely at me, though the confusion was still in her eyes. "I love you," I whispered. "And I…Well, yesterday we came pretty close to…" I looked down at the water, embarrassed.

Bella laughed awkwardly. "Um, yes, well…Yes, we did," she stuttered, blushing a deep red.

I looked up and gave her a half smile. At least I wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable with the situation. "It's just that I want us to take things slow. I want us to enjoy being you and me, get used to being a couple and have all the sweet moments together…"

Bella nodded her head slowly, eyes narrowed as she took this in. "So we can't, what, kiss or touch or anything?" she asked, puzzled.

I shook my head. "No, we could do that," I said embarrassedly. "I just think that we should wait before we…You know."

She leaned forward and rested her forehead against mine. "How long do you want to wait?" she asked curiously.

"Our wedding night," I mumbled quietly.

I didn't think she heard me, but her eyes widened and she pulled back, shocked. She lost her footing and tumbled backwards into the water. I caught her by the waist before she fell.

She sputtered, looking at me like I had gone crazy. "Our wedding night!?" she yelped. "What on earth are you talking about?"

I laughed at her panic, and shook my head. "Not for some time now, Bella," I assured her. She was less than pacified, however. "Bella," I said, my tone growing serious and my expression turning somber. "You do know I plan on spending the rest of eternity with you?"

Bella nodded her head mutely, still staring at me with a blank expression. "Then you do know that I'm going to propose to you at some point?"

This seemed to snap her out of her shock. "But Edward," she breathed. "I don't know if I'm…You know, wife material," she admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

I smiled, and ran my hands up and down her arms. She shivered but pulled herself closer to me. "What would you consider 'wife material'?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I…I don't know. All I do know is that I don't think I'll fit into married life all that well," she said honestly, thinking as she said it.

I spun her around in the water, our bodies entwined. Bella shrieked in surprise, then laughed at the feeling of water sloshing all around us.

I leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I think you would," I argued. "You're beautiful, perfect and you love me." I said that last part with a little hint of smugness.

Bella snorted, though a faint pink tint colored her pale cheeks. "I could only agree to the last one," she countered.

I shook my head and sighed. "Still not seeing yourself clearly, I see," I chided her mockingly.

She kissed me gently, then ducked under the water. She surfaced a few feet away from me. "I could say the same thing about you!" she shouted, grinning widely.

I gave chase to her, but used my vampire speed. I needed us to continue with the conversation. I wanted her to know of the future I wanted us to have. Not to mention the fact that our intimacy had to be…Restricted, shall we say?

I grabbed her from the back and pulled her to me. She laughed, and wrapped her arms around my neck from my front. She tilted her head so she could look at me, and I promptly leaned down and kissed her.

She maneuvered so that she was facing me and pressed her lips harder to mine. It took me completely off guard and I responded on instinct. I pulled her closer, one hand snaking up to tangle in her hair.

I felt her legs wrapping themselves around my waist. My mind was screaming at me to stop, but this was all so new…And I had wanted to be so close to her for so long.

_Edward, remember white gowns and Rosalie's wrath_, I reminded myself. I pulled back from her, and untangled myself from her. "Bella," I gave her a reproving look. She blushed, but looked unabashed my her actions. I groaned. "How am I suppose to keep from going that far if you insist on doing things like that?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know why you insist on not going that far," she shot at me.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes. "Because," I said gently, but firmly. "It's too fast." She bit her lip, looking down. I caught a flash of hurt and rejection in her eyes before she averted her gaze, though.

I placed my thumb and forefinger under her chin and tilted her head so she would look at me. "Bella, you know I want to," I breathed, holding her close to me. "But we can't now, okay? Like I said, I want us to go slow. I want to explore our new relationship, emotionally. It's a lot to take it, even if we both have accepted our love."

Bella sighed and nodded her head. "I know," she admitted. "I just…I've never felt so much before. It's overwhelming. And sometimes I can't help but lose control."

I smiled at how she blushed as she said this. "I know the feeling," I joked.

She raised her eyebrow at me. "So about that marriage thing?" she asked nervously.

I laughed at the panicked look in her eyes. "I won't rush you," I promised. "Just know that another reason why I want to wait is because, well, I'm…I was born in the 1900s," I said, as if this explained it all.

Bella giggled. She had that look on her face that always meant she was about to make a joke of some sort. "So was I," she said, doubling over in laughter at her attempt at being funny.

I rolled my eyes. She had spent too much time with Emmett if she was laughing at her own attempt at being funny. I kissed the tip of her nose. It was adorable, anyway.

When she calmed down enough, she smiled at me and said, "Give or take ninety years."

I nodded my head. "Well, those ninety years makes the difference. I was born and raised a gentleman, Bella. It's not even in me to…Go that far without being married to you first," I told her honestly.

Bella pressed her overheated face into my chest, in an attempt to hide her blush. It really didn't work considering I could feel the flush against my cool chest. I ran my hand through her hair, trying to calm her. "But what if I'm not a good wife?" she whispered.

I pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "I think you would be an amazing wife. And for me, you would be the perfect wife," I said.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm not saying yes to marriage," she warned. I nodded my head, still smiling. I hadn't proposed yet - and Alice already said she would say no a few times before giving in.

"But we should probably slow down," she continued. "All these emotions…It's a lot. And you're right, we do need to figure it all out together."

I lifted her hand and brought it to my lips. "Together," I whispered.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I took a deep breath and entered the garage. Rosalie was working on Alice's Mercedes, giving the engine a boost. I didn't know how much more of a boost the engine could take. Alice already drove faster than a race car driver. Not that I minded much, most of the time.

I was going to talk to Rose about the way she was acting around Edward and I. At first, we had pretty much let her get all obsessive with 'keeping me safe'. Now it was just bordering on annoying and overprotective. Scratch that. It was annoying and overprotective.

Just yesterday, she kicked Edward out of my room - we were sitting on the floor, listening to music. We weren't even doing anything! But she said that no boys - or male vampires - allowed in my room. I reminded her that Jazz and Emmett come in all the time, but she said she meant no Edward in my room.

I loved her. She truly was my mother, and she was great at it. I loved how she wanted to protect me, too. It made me feel so loved.

But this has got to stop.

Edward and I lived in the same house. It would be a difficult, if not impossible, thing not to be in the same room at the same time. Besides, that just wouldn't work. Who ever heard of not being in the same room as your soul mate?

Edward and I had decided to take things slow. I'd been more than a little disappointed, but we were still getting to know each other _that _way. I knew almost everything about him, and he knew everything about me up 'til now. We still had a long road ahead of us.

And I could understand him wanting to wait until our wedding night. Edward was a classic 1900s gentleman. He really wouldn't give up on his beliefs and the way he was raised.

All in all, the lust was still as pronounced as it was back in the pool and at the meadow - even for him. It was why it was so easy to get caught up in the moment when we were together. Not to mention the fact that we decided to keep things a secret from everyone at school for a while.

It wasn't that we were ashamed or anything like that.

I would love for Angela and Ben to know about Edward and I being together, finally. She knew about our first kiss at Reflection Pond, and had immediately gone into an Alice-type shriek fest, saying how the two of us would be perfect for one another.

The thing was, we wanted to be on steady ground before we let others in on our relationship. Alice had even said that Lauren would be jealous towards my 'popularity' and Jessica would be angry at how I 'snagged her crush'.

It was getting frustrating to not be able to touch one another in school. For eight hours a day, we had to pretend not to be together.

I missed hugging him, and holding his hand, and kissing him. I missed the subtle touches he always gave me like a kiss on the cheek, or how he would brush my cheek with his fingers or how he'd hug me from behind. Those simple touches made me feel so incredibly _loved _by him, I couldn't even explain it.

It had been three weeks since our confession. Edward took me out as much as he could - it was, really, the only way for us to ever be alone. We couldn't risk someone from Forks seeing us on a date, so her normally took me somewhere secluded.

I didn't know how he found all these amazingly beautiful secluded spots, but he'd just said that he had a lot of time on his hands - especially at night. I had laughed at that. With his sensitive hearing, it must have been awful to hear the activities of the rest of the family at night. No wonder he went out all the time.

Anyway, even though I loved spending time alone with Edward at these places that looked like they belonged on National Geographic, I couldn't help but be irritated by Rose's interferences. I needed her to stop treating me like a child, and start treating me like the daughter she raised to be.

I was a woman in love.

I needed my man with me.

It was hard enough getting to sleep without Edward by my side. He had taken to sitting by me and humming me my lullaby, but Rosalie kicked him out most nights. It felt like prison. And very bad insomnia.

I had asked Edward to come with me, but he'd said that he would join me later. There were some things I needed to talk to Rose alone - mother to daughter. He'd told me that he knew Rosalie's reasons, being a mind-reader and all, and that I shouldn't be harsh at all. She was having trouble letting go.

I stepped further into the garage, and looked around. I saw Rose's feet sticking out from under Alice's Mercedes and smiled. "Mom?" I called.

Rosalie slid out from under the Mercedes, her overalls covered in grease spots here and there. She looked perfect, of course, pulling the look amazingly. She looked like she was a model for a car advertisement or something.

She grabbed a towel and wiped her hands, smiling at me. "What's up, angel?" she asked.

I bit my lip nervously. "Can we talk?"

Rosalie tilted her head to one side, gesturing to the left. I followed her to where some stools sat around, and sat next to her. "What about?"

I took in another calming breath and looked at her. "You know about what, mom. Edward and I," I said determinedly.

Rose visibly flinched as I said this, but I ignored that. "Mom, I'm…All grown-up. I'm with Edward now, and I really am in love with him. You have to know-"

She stood up and faced away from me. "Yes, I know. You don't need me, you have your mate," she said bitterly.

I sat there, stunned by her sudden outburst. She had never actually said that to me before. What I knew about her troubles letting go came from what Edward told me he'd heard in her mind.

I stood up and walked over to her. I wrapped my arms around her from behind. "I was going to say that you need to know I'll always be your little girl," I corrected her. Rose turned in me embrace and hugged me, a look of disbelief on her face. "I love you. And you and Esme are the greatest moms in the whole world."

I reached out and brushed at her hair. "But you've raised me to be the woman I am today. You can't go around hounding Edward and I everywhere we go. We promise to be responsible and be careful with each other. We promise to love one another. But you have to let us make our own choices," I said, my voice almost pleading with her.

Rosalie looked at me, her topaz gaze never wavering. Finally, she sighed and hung her head. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I know I've been acting irrational. It's just that you and Edward…I know nothing can take the love of your soul mate. Nothing can compare."

I leaned forward and kissed Rose on the cheek. "No," I agreed. Her beautiful face fell and I chuckled, shaking my head. She was being ridiculous if she thought her love paled in comparison to Edward's.

Sure, Edward was my entire life, but I couldn't even imagine functioning without Rose. She raised me, just like Esme, just like Carlisle. She has her place in my heart, too.

"But mom, nothing can compare to a mother's love, either," I added quickly, before she could think too much of what I'd said. Immediately, Rosalie's eyes lit up and she gave me a brilliant smile. "You mean the world to me. And I _do _need you, for a lot of things. I'd like to move on to the next stage of my life with you on board. I have so little time left at being human. I want to enjoy every second with my entire family, you included," I said, resting my head in the crook of her neck as I hugged her tightly. "I'd just love it more if you didn't kick Edward away from me every time he comes within two feet of me," I joked.

Rosalie laughed a little shakily. "I'm sorry, baby. I promise to be a lot less…" she trailed off, trying to find the right word.

I lifted my head and gave her a cheeky smile. "Crazy?" I offered.

Rose scowled playfully at me, and swatted my arm. "No! A little less possessive over you. I love you, and although I normally just make fun of him, I love Edward, too. I am happy you found each other. I'll just…I needed to know you and I won't ever change," she said, kissing my hair.

"Of course not," I assured her, still hugging her close to me.

Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I turned my head slightly to see Edward leaning against the garage door. He had his arms folded across his chest and a big smile plastered on his flawless face. "Should I come back later?" he asked, looking straight at me.

I blushed at his gaze. Whenever he looked at me, his gaze never wavered. His topaz eyes would darken just a little, and a crooked smile would automatically make its way to his lips. I loved that.

Rosalie laughed and shook her head. "No, you can take her," she said, kissing my forehead lightly.

Edward found it safe enough to joke. "Really? I don't have to step through the metal detectors first?"

Rose rolled her eyes at him as I laughed. "Just take her before I change my mind," she shot back.

Edward smiled, and stepped forward. He held his hand out for me. I turned to give Rosalie another kiss on the cheek. "Love you, mom," I whispered. She beamed at me. I broke out of her embrace and took Edward's hand.

He gently flung me onto his back. Recognizing the routine, I locked my arms and legs around him, and he was off.

Halfway to our meadow, I kissed his neck and said, "So, you'll 'join me later', huh? Coward," I teased.

He chuckled. "I knew you and Rose needed time alone to figure things out," he said, putting me down on my feet as we reached the meadow. "I didn't need to be there."

I sighed as we laid down on the grass and stared up at the cloudy sky. "Thank God that's over. I think," I added as an after thought.

Edward turned to his side, and traced my cheekbone with his fingers. "Thank God we're alone," he whispered.

I laughed, poking a finger at his chest. "What happened to taking it slow?" I teased, as he leaned in even closer, his lips hovering just inches from mine.

He gave me his crooked smile, and all rational thought flew out the window. "We are taking it slow," he said, bridging the little gap between us.

I drew him closer to me, and smiled against his lips. To think that I would have forever with him, just like this…Pure ecstasy.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I hadn't felt this euphoric since the day I met Alice. Edward and Bella were so happy about being together, that they exude bliss. I loved having that around me.

Being an empath, their constantly changing emotions the few weeks before they got together had driven me insane. Edward's conflict ever since he found out he loved her, his jealousy, his self-pity, his rage…They hovered around me like an ominous cloud. Bella's confusion and guilt weren't any better, either.

Now that they're together, all of that disappeared.

Sure, they were frustrated by not telling others about each other. Edward still grew jealous every time Mike Newton asked Bella out, or one of the boys in school flirted with her. Not surprisingly, Bella has a lot of admirers. She was a beautiful lady, after all. It still angered Edward, though.

And even if Bella kept insisting she wasn't jealous whenever Lauren, Jessica or some other girl flirted with Edward, she couldn't hide from an empath. I knew she felt jealous - and a little insecure, too.

You would think that being Rosalie's daughter would have made her a little more confident about her looks.

They mostly felt content, though. A little lustful whenever they were alone, but I had Alice to get that out of my system.

Alice had wanted us to have a movie night. The entire family was crowded in the living room, arguing over which movie to watch first. Emmett won, wanting to watch the Terminator. Bella agreed with him, only because she loved the 'I'll be back' line.

Rosalie groaned, squeezing her eyes as I put in the DVD. "How can anyone like this movie?" she asked, shaking her head.

Emmett chuckled. "How can anyone _not_?" he retorted. "Violence, freaky robot guys from the future and hot half-terminator-half-human sex," he shot a look at Edward and Bella. "Focus on the screen, guys, it's the only action you're getting tonight."

Edward growled at Emmett and Bella blushed so hard she had to hide her face in Edward's shirt. I chuckled, giving her some calming waves and toning down Emmett's mischievousness.

Esme looked shocked that Emmett would even say something like that to his sister. "Emmett McCarty Cullen!" she chided. "Don't talk that way to your sister!"

Emmett didn't even look sorry as he shrugged, grinning. He was too used to teasing people - especially Bella - to stop. I rolled my eyes as the credits rolled. _I _would have chosen How the West Was Won, but that was just me.

I walked over to the couch and sat next to Alice, pulling her close to me. She sat between my legs, her back to my front, and snuggled into me. I kissed her spiky hair, and watched the beginning of the movie.

The phone rang and Emmett let out a loud "Shh!"

I glared at him and reached around to my back to snatch the phone up. I was the closest to the phone and, as family rule stated, I had to get it. I pressed the button to answer the call and spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is Bella home?"

I recognized the voice instantly as that of Mike Newton's. Edward could hear Newton's voice, of course, since he had sensitive hearing. He growled, eyes snapping in my direction, and arms tightening around Bella protectively.

Bella looked questioningly at Edward and Emmett chuckled. Even Esme and Carlisle laughed at Edward's reaction to Newton.

"Yes, she is. Hold on," I said, passing the phone to Bella. She looked at me quizzically, but I just shrugged, suppressing my smirk.

Bella placed the phone at her ear and spoke into it. "Hello? Oh…Hi, Mike," she said warily. She shot me a glare and a grin broke out over my face. Bella had told us to tell Mike she wasn't around if and when he called. She was frustrated enough having to dodge him in school.

I only ignored her whenever I was bored. Since this was the thirty-second time we had watched Terminator, I needed entertainment.

And this was just the perfect opportunity.

I listened in to whatever Mike was saying on the other end of the phone. "So, I was just wondering…If you're not too busy on Friday. Do you want to go to the movies with me?"

I chuckled to myself. Every single time the kid asked her out, he sounded so hopeful as if he actually had a chance. And every single time, Bella would turn him down as gently as possible, he would walk away looking dejected and try again two hours later.

Bella blushed as she heard his question. She blushed too much, really. It was enough to drive Edward insane with jealousy whenever a scumbag like Mike Newton made her blush. He knew it was her natural response to anything, but he was just crazy in love like that.

True enough, he bent down and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. Bella blushed harder, a silly smile on her face as she half-heartedly batted him away.

Mike called her name, and Bella focused again, realizing that the human boy was still on the line. "Uh, sorry Mike. I can't. I…Got grounded," she lied. I rolled my eyes. All these years being a Cullen, and she was still a horrible liar.

Mike sounded dejected as he replied. But then again, he was always dejected when she turned him down. "Oh? What for?" he asked bitterly.

Bella shrugged, resting her head on Edward's shoulder. She was sitting on his lap on the floor. He nuzzled her neck and smiled.

I could feel the happiness radiating off of him that Bella had once again turned down Newton. I didn't know what he was so worried about. It wasn't like Bella was going to run off with someone else. He was her soul mate. That wasn't going to change.

Edward shot me a smile as he read my thoughts. "Emmett and I pulled another prank. We took half of Alice's new summer clothes and spray painted them green," Bella stumbled on her words as she attempted to lie.

Alice growled and pouted. It was funny how the two pranksters had actually done that. Summer was approaching fast - only two months away. Alice had started shopping for our Cullen summer vacation.

She had tortured Bella and Emmett for nine hours straight last Saturday. The next morning, when Alice had gone hunting, they looked at each other and decided right then to take her new summer clothes and spray painted it.

They only managed to do half because Alice had come straight home after having a vision of their actions. Emmett had dropped the spray paint, grabbed Bella and run all the way to Massachusetts. It was pretty hilarious.

Bella heard Alice's growl and shared a look with Emmett. He grinned goofily, and Bella had to clasp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

She swallowed her laughter then cleared her throat to speak. When she removed her hand from her mouth, I could still see the smile on her face. "Mike, I've gotta go. What? No, I haven't heard from Tyler…Why did you ask me that?" she asked, a suspicious look on her face. Mike refused to answer her, though, and she sighed. "Well, see you tomorrow then."

Bella hung up the phone and threw it at me. I caught it with one hand and put it away, chuckling. She scowled at me. "Jazz, you suck," she pouted at me.

I burst out in laughter, having to bury my face in Alice's spiky hair to calm myself. "Man, you should have seen your face when you realized it was Newton," I snorted, teasing her.

Bella blushed and glared. She turned away from me and looked pointedly at the TV screen. "Aw, come on, angel. Don't be like that…You know I'm just playing," I said, shooting her a sheepish grin. Bella didn't even look at me. I sighed, giving a pleading look at Edward.

He chuckled, then wrapped his arms around her waist. He placed little kisses on her neck. I felt the lust coming off both of them - but most of all, I felt their love. It was staggering.

My love for Alice…Well, everything else pales in comparison to it, in my opinion.

But Edward and Bella…It was like they _lived _for each other. Just simple moments could catch me off guard with how strong their emotions were. And moments like these made me feel like I was intruding on their privacy.

I felt Bella's anger and frustration ebbing away, and sighed in relief. If I had used my gift to make her calmer, Bella would have been angrier with me - and spilled one of my secrets to Carlisle and Esme. Maybe even tell them about how Esme's precious China vase was broken because of me, not Emmett.

_No one _- not even Emmett - knew. Except Bella, but that was only because I had panicked and yelled out loud and she had been in the house at the time so she heard me.

Edward sighed, and rested his chin on top Bella's head. Bella traced circles on his pale hand. "What's wrong, Edward?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "I'm tired of Newton," he said, his voice cold. "If I could just…Beat him up and throw him to the sharks…"

Bella smacked his arm lightly, careful not to hurt herself. "Edward!" she complained. "I know he's annoying, but just ignore him."

Edward rolled his eyes, and the strongest flash of jealousy and irritation shot through him. It made me want to strangle someone. "Bella, he…Has very repulsive thoughts," he said through clenched teeth.

She looked up at him, confused. "So what? You say that about every boy," she pointed out.

Edward shot her an exasperated look. "He has very repulsive thoughts about you, Bella," he elaborated.

Bella's eyes widened, then she flushed. "Oh," she mumbled. "God, I didn't need to know that."

Emmett laughed. "Sis, you mean to tell me you don't know? I mean, he looks like he's undressing you with his mind every time he sees-"

"EMMETT!" All seven of us shouted. He jumped, startled by everyone yelling at him, then grinned at us.

I shook my head. _Edward, if you really don't want anyone else looking at your Bella that way, then do something about it_, I thought. Edward tilted his head to one side and gave me a puzzled look. I smiled widely. _Show them she's yours._

Edward's eyes lit up, and Alice started bouncing on the couch in excitement. I sent her calming waves, and she pecked my lips quickly to thank me.

It was just a guess but I was thinking Edward's plan would work.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I ran through the hallway to find my family. I had just gone to my locker to put my books inside. I knew they were waiting for me outside the cafeteria. We always went in together, all six of us.

Mike was looking for me. He had caught up to me at my locker, attempting to ask me out for the fourth time today. I didn't know how many more times I could say no and still be polite to him. Mike was a nice guy but he was just a little too insistent for his own good.

I found Emmett and Rosalie by the cafeteria doors, Edward right next to them looking disgusted. They must be having some pretty…Disturbing thoughts about each other. I shuddered, and ran to duck behind Emmett. He was the biggest, so Mike probably didn't have a chance of seeing me if I hid behind him.

Emmett laughed, turning around to see me. I moved as he did, trying to cover myself with his body. "What the hell are you doing, squirt?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I glared at him, trying to get him to be quiet. "I'm _trying _to hide from-"

"Bella!"

I flinched. "Mike," I said defeated, stepping out from behind Emmett. I blushed as Mike approached, jogging towards us. "Uh, hi…Didn't see you there," I stuttered, wanting more than anything to escape into the cafeteria.

Mike came closer and I shrank back against Emmett's muscled chest. "So, about Friday-"

Emmett towered over Mike while I was in the middle. "Excuse me," he spat out. "What the hell are you doing?"

Mike was intimidated, I could tell. Anyone would be intimidated when Emmett glared at you like that. He tried to be brave though, squaring his shoulders and looking Emmett in the eye. "I'm asking Bella out," he said. I could hear his voice wavering as Emmett's eyes darken. He really was a protective teddy bear.

To my surprise, Edward slipped his hand over mine and squeezed reassuringly. We had done this a few times in public, even before we confessed our love to one another. It was one of the reasons why everyone thought we were together.

It was also the reason Lauren was jealous of me and Jessica tried to make me jealous by telling me all about how she 'looked at Edward and he glanced over during Spanish.

What stunned me, though, wasn't the fact that he was holding my hand. It was the fact that he said, "Sorry, Mike, but she and I have plans on Friday night."

Mike just stared at Edward while I blushed.

We actually _did _have plans to go somewhere. Edward didn't tell me where because he wanted it to be a surprise. I would have used the 'but-how-will-I-know-what-to-wear' excuse, but Alice was dressing me up and she already knew what his surprise was.

Mike's stare became an annoyed one, and he glared from Edward to me and back to Edward again, sulking. I really didn't want to wait around anymore.

As if on cue, Alice and Jasper walked towards us gracefully. Their striking pale complexions and golden eyes would look intimidating to anyone, but their graceful walk up to us would have stunned everyone to silence. _I _was still in shock at how simply beautiful they all were and I had been around them for a decade.

Alice leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. Jasper grinned at me, like he knew something I didn't. I rolled my eyes. I knew better than to ask - especially in front of Mike.

So I just gave Mike a little wave, and walked inside with the rest of my family.

Emmett and Rosalie went in first, followed by Alice and Jasper. I sighed as I followed them to the lunch line, hand in hand with Edward. We were strolling by, so I started to swing our entwined hands together.

"What is it, love?" Edward asked, his brows furrowing as he looked at me concernedly.

I smiled at him. "Nothing important, Edward. I was just thinking how I was getting tired of having to dodge Mike around all the time," I admitted.

Edward smiled brightly at me. "I was thinking of that…And I have come up with the perfect solution," he announced.

I glanced at him warily. "And what would that perfect solution be?" I asked tentatively. The last time he'd had 'the perfect solution' to the Mike problem, he'd ended up yelling at Mike after gym to leave me alone.

It had worked…For about two days. I just didn't think yelling or bodily harm was the way to go this time around.

Edward didn't answer. He just stopped walking, and spun me around with our entwined hands. I gasped as he wrapped his free arm around my waist and leaned down.

Right there, in the middle of the crowded cafeteria room, he captured my lips with his in the longest, sweetest kiss we had ever shared. I felt myself literally turning into mush as I wrapped my free arm around his neck and sliding my hand into his thick, bronze hair.

His lips curved into a smile against my lips as he kissed me. I pressed myself further into Edward, forgetting where we were and the people surrounding us.

Edward finally pulled back, and I leaned into him, my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I panted. I was pretty sure our family could hear my wild heart fluttering from where they were standing. Then again, they could pretty much hear everything in the suddenly silent cafeteria.

My eyes widened as I came back down to earth and realized just where we were. I looked up at Edward to find that he was smiling at me, completely calm and at ease.

As I looked into the student mass of Forks High, staring at Edward and I as we stood in each other's embrace, I couldn't help but feel quite the opposite of how he looked.

I stared right back, waiting for their response.

******************************************************************************

_Can I just say how excited I am for the next chapter? The beginning of the bad guy plotline…It would fit in very well with what I have planned for vampire Bella in the sequel - should there be one, at least._

_Anyway, thank you so much for reading. I'm so sorry this was a little late. Please review._

_Juliet._


	41. Coming to Terms

_**A/N:**__ On to this chapter. This is going to be an all-fluff chapter. Next chapter is summertime. Thanks for reading._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Bella_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

Newton's outraged thoughts followed us into the cafeteria. He stood frozen in the same spot, staring after us as we headed in. His mind was a mess as he tried to decipher if Bella and I were a couple like the rest of our family, or if our plans were platonic.

After a while, he decided that it was platonic. _They have some sort of freaky connection. Everyone knows that. It's why Jess pretends to like Bella, so she could get on her good side and seduce Edward._

I rolled my eyes. Yes, our connection was a very immense one that even strangers couldn't miss. I just didn't think there was any being on earth stupid enough to believe that Jessica's plan would work.

Newton started thinking of plans on how to seduce Bella - most of which included Bella being completely infatuated with him. By the end of his fantasies, his imaginary Bella would have stripped off all her clothes.

His imagination was driving me insane.

I didn't let go of Bella's hand as we followed the others.

Emmett and Rosalie took the lead, his arm around her waist as they grinned at each other. Every now and again, they would lean in and kiss one another. Emmett's mind was already following a much lurid path.

They were followed by Alice and Jasper. Jasper was focusing on not killing anyone, and on trying not to get an overload of emotions in the cafeteria. He looked as if he was in pain. Alice was trying to soothe him, reaching out to kiss his cheek, and whispering calming words to him. Occasionally, he would give her a smile as he calmed slightly.

I looked worried over at Bella as I heard her sighing as we walked behind Jazz and Alice towards the lunch line. I smiled slightly when she started to swing our entwined hands together.

I could see the frustration in her eyes, though. "What is it, love?" I asked, my brows furrowing as I looked at her concernedly.

She smiled at me, but I could see how forced it was. "Nothing important, Edward," she said half-heartedly.

I gave her a disbelieving look, and she relented. She bit her lip, hesitating. "I was just thinking how I was getting tired of having to dodge Mike around all the time," I admitted.

Ah, so that was what was bothering her. I knew she was more concerned with hurting his feelings.

I caught another flash of his thoughts of her in an outfit I wouldn't care to explain. I felt a growl building up in my chest. She really shouldn't worry about hurting him. In fact, she _should _hurt him - badly.

Or better yet, she should let me do the honors.

I wanted Newton to leave Bella alone. How many times could a girl say 'no' to a guy before he understood that she didn't want to be with him? Honestly, were all humans this dense?

I thought back to Jasper's suggestion during movie night. _Show them she's yours_, he'd advised. Could I really do that? In front of not only the entire student body - whom I couldn't care less for - but in front of Rosalie?

Not to mention the fact that I had no idea what Bella would say to this. _Well, there's only one way to find out_, I told myself. The voice in my head sounded a lot more confident than I actually felt.

I smiled brightly at her. "I was thinking of that…And I have come up with the perfect solution," I announced.

She gave me a wary look. "And what would that _perfect solution_ be?" she asked tentatively, as if she was afraid to hear my idea.

I grinned at her but didn't answer. I stopped walking, and spun her around with our entwined hands. She gasped, eyes widening, as I wrapped my free arm around her waist and leaned down.

Her breathing grew ragged as she realized what I was about to do. I heard the soft whisper of my name on her lips before our lips met.

I pressed my lips on hers sweetly, but I didn't let go of her or release her lips. Instead, I pressed for more. I felt her leaning into me and I held her tighter, knowing that she was having one of her moments where she would just fall to the floor and bring me down with her if I let her go.

I felt her arm snaking around my neck as she held onto me. She slid her hand into my hair and it took all I had not to rush her out of the cafeteria and bring her all the way to our meadow just for some time alone together.

I smiled into our kiss, feeling her enthusiasm and hearing her pounding heart going faster and faster by the minute. She pressed herself further into me. We were both forgetting where we were and the people surrounding us.

The thought that I was trying to show the world that Bella was mine almost flew out the window - until I heard Lauren uttering a high pitched "Oh my _God_!"

I finally pulled back, and she leaned into me. We were both breathing hard. I recognized the look on Bella's face - she was trying to calm her heartbeat.

I did a quick check on everyone's thoughts, starting with my family.

_She's growing up. She's growing up. I promised I'd back off. Don't kill Edward. She's growing up_, Rosalie chanted in her head.

_Whoa, didn't know Eddie had it in him…Hmm. Wonder what else he does with our baby angel. I'll kill him if he does anything before they get married, though. No offense, Eddie_, I ignored Emmett's nickname for me, and inclined my head slightly to show him I acknowledged his protective big brother threat. It was only fair - I knew everyone in our family would kill anyone who tried to hurt Bella.

_Now, remember. This was _my _plan. Thank me with a car_, Jasper thought smugly.

_If I started cheering, would Bella forgive me? Oh, who cares? I'll just take her shopping so she'll forgive me_, Alice thought.

I decided on destroying all her credit cards if she cheered, and she pouted. _You're no fun, Edward_, she complained silently.

I turned to look at Bella once more. She still looked like she was in a daze, a silly smile on her face. I chuckled, brushing a finger gently on her cheek.

Her eyes widened as she came back down to earth and realized just where we were. She looked up at me.

She looked out at the student mass of Forks High, all of whom were staring at us.

Bella looked a little anxious as she stared right back at them. She looked back at me, still smiling at her, a sheepish look on my face. A small smile made its way onto her lips. I watched it grow as she gazed at me.

I leaned my forehead against hers and held both her hands in mine. I brought one pair of our entwined hands to my chest and the other to her cheek so that I could touch her warm, blushing skin.

"Are you very angry with me?" I whispered. "I only wanted to let them know that you," I kissed her forehead. "Are," I kissed the tip of her nose gently. "Mine," I said, brushing my lips on hers once more for a very brief kiss.

Bella blushed even deeper, and I almost groaned at the warmth of her skin. "No," she whispered back. "I'm not angry."

I grinned widely at her. "So you don't mind that everyone's staring?" I asked, brows furrowing. I really hadn't thought out this plan, and I wouldn't want Bella to be angry with me. I knew she hated the attention, and the cafeteria was still silent as they watched us.

She shook her head slightly, not wanting to break away from me. I was more than happy about that. "No. I could do without the attention," she said, sweeping her gaze around at the still-shocked students. "But I'm happy we get to do this now."

I nuzzled her nose with mine, and then dropped one of her hands. I led her to the lunch line, the quiet murmur of students rising steadily as they begun to shake themselves out of their stupor.

_NO! She's already getting the attention. Now she's dating Cullen!? How unfair is that!?_ Lauren screamed. I heard her silently debating if she should come up to Bella and slap her. I draped my arm protectively around Bella as she got herself a tray of food.

_B-Bella and Edward? No…But…I want Edward!_ Jessica thought childishly. _I can't believe it. Is that even legal? Don't they share the same parents? Totally EW._

I chuckled, pressing my lips to Bella's temple as we walked towards our usual table. The rest of the family was already there.

_Bella's supposed to be mine! What, so Cullen just walked in, kissed her, and that's it!?_ Newton's voice blared louder than the rest.

Emmett clapped me on the back, grinning like a fool. "Way to go, Eddie!" he congratulated me.

I shoved his hand away, though I couldn't help the smile on my face. "Emmett, you know I hate being called that," I reminded him, my voice as stern as it could be at the moment.

He snorted. "Yeah, you look real upset, buddy," he joked.

Bella was still blushing hard when Alice squealed and launched at her from across the table. "This is so great!" she gushed. "You know what this means!"

Bella shot Alice a horrified look. "Oh, no, please not shopping…"

Alice giggled, and shook her head. Bella sighed, smiling in relief. "Spa day!" Alice announced. Bella flinched, shooting me a pleading look.

I laughed, and stroked her hair gently. "What do you expect me to do? You know nothing can stop Alice," I said softly.

Bella sighed in defeat. "Possibly the most dangerous thing to walk on earth," she muttered, slapping away Alice's hand as gently as she could - any harder and she would just injure herself.

Alice's eyes suddenly widened, and she smiled at Bella and I. She settled back into her seat. Before any of us could ask her, the sound of footsteps approaching alerted us to someone coming closer.

"Hey, Bella," Angela's voice grew louder as she approached our table. She looked uncomfortable. Jessica was next to her, one arm linked with Angela. It was obvious that she was dragging Angela to our table, as much as she was trying to make it look natural.

Bella smiled at Angela. Their friendship had really grown in the past few months. "Hey, Ange. What's up?" she asked innocently.

Angela sighed softly, though I could hear it. She sounded exasperated. "Jessica just wanted-" Jessica nudged Angela not-so-subtly in the ribs. "_I _just wanted," she amended, a hint of sarcasm in her normally kind voice. "To say hi."

Bella noticed Jessica's nudge, as well, and nodded her head slowly. "Oh. Well, hello," she smiled, sharing a knowing look with Angela.

Angela rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at Jessica though she didn't notice. She was too busy glaring at Bella and smiling at me. I think she was trying to be flirtatious.

I averted my gaze, looking instead at my personal angel. Bella sensed my discomfort, our connection working its way again, and leaned into me. She took my hand and held onto it.

_How can he even like her? She's so…Plain. Whenever that Alice Cullen isn't around, she always dresses in, like, jeans and stuff. It's obvious she doesn't fit in with them. If he chose me, I'd fit it _so _well…_

I ignored Jessica's thoughts and her presence. I could tell she was growing annoyed, though. Bella, too, didn't acknowledge Jessica. They were somewhat friends though Bella saw through Jessica's pretenses. She just didn't call her bluff because Bella didn't like attention.

Instead, Bella smiled at Angela and peered over at the table where Angela normally sat. "Where's Ben?" she asked teasingly.

It was common knowledge to everyone but Ben that Angela liked him. I thought it fit. Ben was a perfectly nice boy who didn't gawk or have lurid thoughts about every single girl he saw. He was decent. And Angela was such a kind girl. They would make a wonderful pair.

They both liked each other - confirmed by both their thoughts and their confessions to Bella. They just didn't know the other liked each other, and Bella couldn't tell because she promised.

I found it intriguing. When Bella and I hadn't gotten together, I couldn't care less. But now I was more carefree. I didn't have a care in the world. Their little crush on each other was interesting.

Angela blushed and looked shyly at her feet. "He's sick today…I was thinking of giving him his homework after school," she mumbled.

"Just giving him homework, Ange?" Bella laughed, pulling her friend to sit next to her.

Angela laughed right along. "Bella, stop. I don't even know…" Angela shook her head. "I'm probably way too tall for him or something." She made a face. "I'm freakish, aren't I?"

Bella giggled, and shook her head. "Of course not. Look at Emmett," she joked, jabbing a finger at her brother. Angela laughed. She had come to speaking terms with most of us. We weren't close, but the occasional 'hellos' were exchanged whenever we saw each other.

Emmett scowled playfully at Bella. "Hey! I resent that! These are all used to lure the ladies," he drawled.

Angela and Bella shared a look and burst into laughter. Rosalie smacked Emmett upside the head.

I smiled lovingly at Bella. I loved seeing her so happy. She had picked right where she had left off with Angela though they both hadn't remembered much from when they were little. Their personalities were a lot alike, so they had become instant friends.

Jessica cleared her throat, and all of us looked at her. She looked a little startled by the attention. She put herself together and shot me an envious look. "So, Bella…" she said, shooting looks between Bella and I. "You and Edward."

She said this as if it explained everything. In a way, I supposed it did. It wasn't as if Bella and I weren't expecting some people to ask. I supposed Jessica was just the first one to ask.

Bella looked slightly anxious, but mostly amused. "Yes?" she asked, playing right along.

Jessica stared incredulously at Bella, as if she couldn't believe Bella didn't just start squealing at the top of her lungs. "You're together," she stated, not bothering to hide her envy.

Bella nodded her head and snuggled deeper into my chest. "Yes, we are," she answered simply.

_What is wrong with her? I need details! Maybe she doesn't feel comfortable saying all this in front of Edward Cullen…_ "That's just…Wow," Jessica said, giving Bella a bright, fake smile.

Bella gripped my hand tighter. I knew she was irritated. She hated it whenever someone wasn't being honest with her. "Yes, I suppose it is," she answered mildly.

Jessica looked about ready to explode at the lack of gossip heading her way. "So, what, like…How long have you two been-" _Sucking face?_ "Going out?" she finished her question more subtly.

Bella shot me a look, and smiled. "A while," I answered for her. I knew she was still guilty about what happened with Gabriel. I didn't want her to be upset.

_A while? What sort of an answer is that? I bet she cheated on Gabriel_, Jessica thought arrogantly.

I gave her a glare, and she backed down. "Um…I'll just go then," she said. No one said a word to protest or acknowledge that she had spoken at all. Jessica scowled. "Come on, Angela," she said snottily.

Angela gave her a small smile. "I think I'll stay here," she said, shrugging, and turning back to Bella. "So, my parents are going out of town the whole weekend, and I'm babysitting the twins," she told Bella.

Bella smiled widely at her friend. "You must love that, an entire weekend with those two," she chuckled, knowing Angela's soft spot for her little brothers.

Angela nodded her head. "Yeah. I wanted to take them to the beach, but it was going to rain this weekend," she frowned. "I don't know. The twins were upset because they had to miss the class trip to the zoo. Chicken pox. It's kind of funny - Jim got it, and two hours later, Tim has it."

Bella laughed. "Please. Don't even mention chicken pox," she shuddered at the memory of her own experience.

Angela noticed this and grinned. "Bad memory?"

"Oh, yeah," Bella confirmed, her voice grim.

Emmett snorted. "Remember when you wouldn't let Edward in your room 'cuz you look like a polka dot dress?"

Bella shot him a glare. "No childhood memories, Em," she warned him. "Or the Jeep gets it." He immediately sobered up and matched her glare with his own.

Angela giggled. "Really, Bella?" she asked amusedly. "Polka dot dress?"

Bella blushed and pouted. "I was seven!" she defended. "All I knew was that I looked a lot like the dress Alice insisted on buying for me."

I smiled and pressed my lips to her flaming cheek. "I thought it was adorable," I whispered. Bella buried her face in my chest, still blushing.

_Aw. They're so in love. It's great. I knew Bella and Edward would get together. Even when Gabriel was around, they were always so lost in their own little world. I'm glad she's so happy, she deserves it_, Angela thought as she looked at us.

Touched by her thoughts, I gave her a smile. She returned it. "Bella?" she called out, a little nervously. I frowned at the direction her thoughts were heading.

Bella looked over at Angela. "Uh…I don't know if you've heard. They finally decided to sell Chief Swan's house," she said.

I knew for a fact that they had kept Charlie and Renee Swan's house empty after all these years because they wanted to preserve their memory. Pretty much everything was left intact since the accident. But they had to sell it at some point.

Bella froze at this, and gripped my hand tighter. "They are?" she whispered.

Angela nodded, and patted Bella's shoulder comfortingly. "Yeah," she said quietly. "They're having a garage sale this Saturday…I just wanted you to know, Bella. You-you could probably get whatever you want there, you know? Technically, the stuff inside is yours. I'm sure they wouldn't mind it if you wanted some things…"

Bella nodded her head, biting her lip. "I'll think about it," she said, her voice strangled. "Thanks for telling me, Ange."

The bell rung, signaling the end of lunch time. Angela reached over and hugged Bella. "I'm here for you," she said quietly. The two smiled at each other. Angela waved and left the table.

Bella sat still, unmoving. I pulled her close to me, and she rested her head on my chest. I could smell the salt as tears started to pool behind her eyes. "Didn't you get the house?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think so. They can't sell it if I own it, right?" she whimpered.

I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead. "We could get it, if you wish," I whispered. "It's not a problem for us, you know that." Bella stayed silent, the tears flowing freely now. I shot my family a look. "I'm taking her to the car," I murmured.

Rosalie nodded her head, and swiftly kissed Bella's cheek. "It'll be alright, baby," she whispered, stroking Bella's pale, wet cheek gently. Jasper sent some peace and serenity Bella's way.

We made it to the parking lot without anyone seeing us. I gently guided her into the Volvo, climbing in the backseat with her so that I could hold her. Once we were inside, I pulled her into a tight hug. Bella's shoulders shook a little as she cried.

I let her cry, occasionally pressing kisses on her forehead. She stopped after a while, and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry," she croaked out.

I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry for," I whispered, brushing back her hair. Even now, I felt a pang of sadness whenever I thought of my parents. They had died ninety years ago. If the pain was still there for me, of course Bella still felt it.

She sighed and shook her head. "I have a great life, Edward," she said quietly. "But I'm not ready to let them go."

"My offer still stands," I told her firmly.

She gave me a small smile and shook her head. "I don't think so…It would be unnecessary. I think I want to visit the house. Before Saturday, you know? I don't want to see it with people milling around."

I nodded my head, understanding her need for closure. "Do you want me to accompany you?" I asked her, softly brushing my lips over hers. I knew simple touches like these calmed her - her touch did the same for me all the time.

Bella smiled up at me. "Would you please?" she whispered.

"Of course, Bella," I replied. "You don't even have to ask."

She gripped me tighter, burying her face in the crook of my neck. She started to breathe in deeply.

I also knew that my scent calmed her. It was ironic since my scent was supposed to lure her in while I made my move to kill her kind.

I liked it better this way.

I felt her warm breath on my neck as she whispered a teary "Thank you".

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I stared at the two-story house in front of me, not even breathing. Edward had driven me out of school and straight to my old house as soon as I had said "I'm ready".

Edward had been amazing. He called the school, imitated Carlisle's voice - which was uncanny - and told them that he and I needed to get home because of a family emergency. Of course, no one questioned the word of Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

He had also made sure that we would have my old house to myself for a few hours. Apparently, Charlie and Renee had never drawn up a will so the house was just left standing on its own for the past ten years. The good people in Forks had decided to keep it intact in memory of their beloved police Chief Swan and dearest wife.

It was time for them to let go and sell the house, though. In other words, it was time for me to let go.

Edward had driven us all the way to the house, and we had stayed here for the past fifteen minutes in complete silence. I didn't think I had moved a single muscle as I stared at the house. He didn't speak or force me to leave. He knew I needed to take this slowly, and would do it at my own pace.

Memories flooded my mind as I stared at the house. Memories I didn't even knew I had started to come to me.

Finally, I sucked in a shaky breath and turned to Edward. I gave him a small smile, and squeezed his hand that I was holding. "I think I'm ready to go in now," I told him.

Edward nodded his head and released my hand. I instantly missed his comfort. He had a way of calming me down just by being next to me. He was holding my door open for me before I could even undo my seatbelt. I stepped out of the car, and took his hand again quickly.

He realized my need to be with him, and pulled me close to his side. We walked up to the driveway.

I felt a pang in my heart as I remembered Charlie's cruiser. It always entertained me to drive around in that thing. Charlie always turned on the siren to amuse me. I guessed, as a little kid, I would have enjoyed it. Charlie never failed to smile every time I laughed at the sound of the siren. Renee would be right next to me, smiling the widest smile ever.

We walked up to the door, and I glanced out at the yard. There was a small garden where Renee used to experiment with gardening. She was never really any good at it because she forgot to water the plants all the time, but I helped. I enjoyed it. I once drowned a rose shrub, but I liked helping out.

We stepped onto the porch and Edward reached out to twist the doorknob. It had been left unlocked for us. I took in a deep breath, made sure Edward's hand was intertwined with mine, and stepped into the threshold.

I gasped. It really did look the same. I couldn't remember it all with perfect clarity, but I remembered the couch, the TV, the hallway leading up to the kitchen…Even the remote control for the ancient TV was in the same place Charlie always left it - right in front of his armchair. He used to watch baseball every night.

It was funny how there were certain things from Charlie and Renee that were embedded in my life. Renee's love to experiment with different hobbies, her occasional hobby of gardening, Charlie's love for baseball…

I took another shaky step forward, my heart about to explode from the pain. I was so glad Jasper wasn't here to sense it. Edward could already tell how hard this was for me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, supporting my weight as we walked further into the house.

I took my time studying every inch of the place. I hoped that it would stay in my memory forever. Eternity was a long time, and I never wanted to forget.

I would come across certain things like Charlie's fishing hat. He had a million lures on the hat, and he called it his lucky hat. He'd take it with him every time he went fishing.

There was also Renee's scrapbook of all the things she had attempted over the years - scuba diving, ballet, hip hop dancing, basketball, waitressing at the diner for fun…She even tried skydiving once. When she was about to jump, she discovered her fear of heights. It didn't stop her from jumping, though. She'd landed and told me that it was the scariest thing she had ever done. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

My mother could be the most childish person on the planet, but she was my inspiration. She was never afraid to go for what she wanted. I loved her for that, and I remembered thinking wanting to be just like her when I grew up.

I found my mother's memory box in her room. It was a medium-sized blue square box which she used to keep all the significant parts of her life. Love letters she received from Charlie, pictures of them together, pictures of old boyfriends, her graduation ring…I took Renee's jewelry box because I knew most of the jewelry were from Charlie from some special occasion. I took her wedding gown and his tux - they kept it side by side. Renee called Charlie and herself teenagers in love at heart.

I took their wedding album, my baby book, and our family album. I took the little treasure box Renee gave to me - the earrings she had given to me for Cousin Beth's wedding was still in it. I took my favorite blanket as a child. I took Charlie's high school yearbook and Renee's as well.

By the time I was done, the entire backseat of the Volvo was full of stuff I had taken. I looked around my room one last time and headed out the door. Edward waited patiently for me at the stairs, and smiled when he saw me. I made my way down to him, cradling Renee's memory box in my arms. I shifted it slightly, because it was heavy.

Edward took it from me the moment I reached him. He caught me when I stumbled on the last step, chuckling at my clumsiness.

I blushed, and looked around the place one last time. I sighed. "I guess this is it," I said softly. Edward took my hand, balancing the heavy box with one arm. I squeezed his hand to calm myself, and led him out the door.

I would always miss my parents and I hoped to God that I would remember them even after my transformation. But it was time for me to let go and move on to my future.

I followed Edward to the Volvo and slid inside. I looked out the window and stared at the house I used to live in, a single tear making its way down my cheek as my past disappeared from my sight.

******************************************************************************

Edward helped me bring in all my things into my room. He somehow managed to bring all of the things in at one go, not dropping even one thing. He placed them all at the foot of my bed, kissed me once and left me to paw through them on my own.

I started with the memory box. I had added some things to it while I was at the house. My treasure box, for one. I opened it, and smiled when I saw the earrings.

I noticed a ring that looked vaguely familiar. It was three rings bonded together. The stone had a claw setting. It was made of white and rose gold, and decorated with three diamond set butterflies.

On the inside of the ring, an inscription read 'True love always'.

A spark of recognition flashed through my eyes as I fingered the beautiful ring. It was my mother's, passed down from my grandmother.

My mother had given it to me, saying that it was a true love ring. My grandmother had worn it when she found her true love, and my mother had worn it when she found Charlie. She'd told me to keep it safe with me, and wear it when I found my one true love.

I took the ring from the box and slipped it on my third finger on my right hand. I smiled down at it. How fitting. I had found Edward, and we were finally together. It was just the right time.

I didn't even greet the rest of the family when they came home but no one bothered me so I supposed either Edward or Alice or both had told them what was going on.

When I didn't come down for dinner, though, Edward came into my room. He was always looking out for me, even when it came to trivial things like dinner. He sat next to me on the bed while I thumbed through our family album.

I looked so silly as a child, but Renee went through a photography phase once. She photographed everything I did from when I was born. It had everything from a little newly born me sleeping in a crib, to a two year old me chasing Charlie around the living room, to a four year old me holding a monkey doll at the zoo.

Edward traced a picture of me on a swing set, my toothless grin showing itself as I played next to a brunette girl I knew was Angela. "You were very adorable as a child," he murmured softly.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I looked plain ridiculous," I shot back, though I was smiling.

Edward laughed, and kissed my cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked, reaching over to hug me sideways. His hand came up automatically to my hair and he stroked it gently.

I nodded my head. "Yes. It's hard letting go, but I'm glad I have certain things to remind me of them now," I said truthfully. "They were my family for six years. I don't think I ever want to forget that part of my life."

Edward smiled crookedly at me. "You shouldn't forget. Even now, I remember things from my human life…It's hard to think of my parents, but I do. Bittersweet memories apparently last forever," he joked lightly.

I giggled, then leaned up to kiss him on the lips. "Thank you for bringing me there today," I said quietly. "I needed it." _I needed you._

He seemed to understand what I wasn't saying and smiled. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me backwards so that we were both lying on my bed. "It's no problem," he answered. "I'm glad you received some closure."

I sighed, snuggling into him. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, and took in his sweet scent. It always calmed me for some reason. Edward found this hilarious but I simply reminded him of how he loved the scent of freesias because it was my scent.

My eyelids drooped. I felt so tired. I had spent the past few hours crying over everything I thumbed through. It was so emotional going through my parents' belongings.

I kept remembering things the more I looked at them. Pictures showed me the pieces I couldn't quite recall. I had hung my mother's wedding gown and Charlie's tux in my wardrobe. It was the only formal wear Charlie owned.

I was drifting off to sleep when I heard Edward's voice calling me back, "Love? Aren't you going to get dinner?"

I mumbled something that didn't even make sense to me. The album wedged between us, I wrapped my arm around Edward's waist and snuggled deeper into him. Within seconds, I was fast asleep.

******************************************************************************

I woke up curled next to Edward, his arms forming a cage around me as he laid next to me. My head was pressed against his chest, my right leg flung over both of his as we both faced each other.

I blushed, looking up at him blearily. I made no move to shift into a more subtle position, and neither did he. Instead, he gave me another heart-stopping crooked grin and pressed his cool lips to my forehead. "Good morning, love," he whispered. "How did you sleep?"

I felt a silly smile making its way onto my lips. "Good," I said back. I didn't have a single nightmare the whole night. It was funny that I had gone to sleep expecting them. I had a nightmare the first ten times Alice took me shopping, so it was only logical that I would have one yesterday.

But not a single one came to me. I had a fairly peaceful sleep. I kept dreaming of Edward in the water, for some reason. The pool, the river, the waterfalls…

My eyes flickered to Edward as my blush returned. "Did I, uh, say anything?" I asked embarrassedly.

Edward chuckled, and brushed his lips on my cheek. He knew I hated to kiss in the morning when I have morning breath. "Not particularly," he said vaguely. "You kept muttering something about me drenched in water…"

I groaned, burying my face in Edward's shirt. He simply laughed, and ran his hand through my hair. "Did you have to tell me that?" I complained. My face felt as if it had been sunburned.

Edward shifted so that I was lying on my back. He rolled on top of me, but was careful to keep his weight off of me. "Don't be embarrassed," he smiled. "I actually am quite fond of those memories, as well."

I giggled, reaching up to tangle my hands in his hair. Edward's crooked grin was the last thing I saw as my eyes closed when our lips met.

As much as I understood Edward's need to take things slow, it was moments like these when I absolutely loathed it.

He would start out kissing me slowly, tenderly. Somewhere along the line, our kiss would deepen. I would press myself closer to him, and he would tighten his hold on me. My hands would move on its own accord, one hand still in his hair, the other undoing his shirt buttons. His hands would roam my body, sometimes coming under my shirt and gently stroking my hips.

And then he would pull back. Just like he was doing right now.

Edward rested his head on my shoulder. I could hear his haggard breathing as he attempted to control himself. I knew that just a tiny bit of bloodlust was mixed in with the sexual lust. It was another reason why he was so reluctant to go any farther.

When both our breathing had calmed and my heartbeat was somewhat back in its original rhythm, Edward lifted his head and looked at me. He hadn't moved an inch from me, thank God. I needed him close.

He gave me an impish grin, and all my frustrations melted away - for now. "I'm sorry," he said, trailing one cold finger down my bare arm.

I shook my head. "I understand," I sighed. My brows furrowed as I thought of what had just happened between us. "That's funny."

Edward frowned, confused. "What is?" he asked, puzzled.

I turned my gaze on him. "Rose didn't barge in here with an electric saw, ready to rip you apart. Why?"

Edward laughed. "If you must know, Emmett's restraining her while she's chanting 'Bella's growing up' in her head," he told me, his voice jubilant.

I snorted. "Sounds like mom," I muttered, hoping that Rose wouldn't hear.

But, of course, she did. "Hey!" I heard her yell from somewhere in the house. "I resent that!"

I shook my head, and untangled myself from Edward's arms. He, however, wouldn't move. I laughed at the stubborn look on his face. "Edward!" I complained. "Move. I need to get in the shower."

"You'd better get in it alone!"

I glared at my door. "Mother, stop listening in!" I yelled, though she could have heard me even if I had whispered.

Edward chuckled, pressing a single kiss to my pulse point, and then letting me go.

I rolled off the bed, and went into my bathroom. I looked into the mirror and sighed, my hands on each side of the marble sink. Yesterday had been one crazy emotional roller coaster.

But I knew today would be a lot worse.

Edward and I had escaped from school after lunch. We hadn't stayed to endure the stares, the whispers, the questions and the glares.

There was no escaping that today, however.

******************************************************************************

I ate slower than usual, taking deliberate time to munch the eggs that Esme had made for me.

Alice stared at me with a bored expression on her face. After twenty minutes, she glared at me and said, "You have no idea how much I want to stuff the eggs in your mouth so that we could _leave_."

I sighed, finishing up quickly and placing the plate and my empty mug in the dishwasher. I turned around and took my backpack. Jasper gave me a reassuring smile from where he sat on the couch next to Emmett, playing video games.

They could have left already, of course, since Edward and I were the only ones taking his car. But we Cullens and Hales stuck together no matter what - even for something as trivial as going to school.

We filed out to the garage. Jasper, Alice and Emmett followed Rose to her M3. She kissed my forehead before she slid into the driver's seat. "It'll be fine, baby," she said soothingly. "And if anyone bitches about you, just give them a good punch to the eye…"

"Rosalie!" Edward called out, shocked.

I giggled, patting my mother on the shoulder as she hugged me. "Thanks, mom. I'll be sure to remember that," I said jokingly. At least she had lightened up my mood.

I wasn't really worried about what they thought - I just didn't want to hear any of them. I wanted the rest of the year to go by smoothly. Too much had already happened in my near seventeen years of life. I didn't need to add high school drama to the list.

I slid into the passenger's seat of the Volvo, and snuck a quick look at Edward. I was so worried about having some girls coming up to me and asking me about Edward, I didn't even think of how he would have to hear everything everyone was saying.

It would be harder on him, I knew that. I took his hand and squeezed once before he pulled out of the garage. He smiled at me, and kissed me once softly. "Will you be alright?" he asked, his topaz eyes concerned.

I stared into them, feeling the familiar sensation of being dazzled as I got lost in his eyes.

What on earth was I worried about?

I had a wonderful, beautiful man I could call my best friend, my soul mate and my lover. I had the most amazing family that I was going to spend eternity with. Summer was two months away and I would be graduating from high school in about a year.

Everything was more than alright - everything would be just perfect.

I smiled widely at him. "I'll be just fine," I answered him truthfully.

Edward gave me a crooked smile, and turned to face the front. He pulled out of the garage and followed Rose's car onto the road.

I focused on something other than school. Lilly was acting a little strange today - I think it was time to bring her to the vet again for a check-up. She was fairly old now, and I didn't want to take any chances.

I thought of Alice's spa day threat. To any other girl, it might have sounded like a perfect trip. But to me, it sounded more like torture. Full body wax - which only I would get considering Alice and Rosalie were both vampires. Seaweed wrap. And honestly, what's up with mud baths?

"Bella?" I heard Edward's perfect velvet voice breaking through my thoughts.

I blinked and looked around. We were already in the parking lot. I turned to look at him and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just thinking," I mumbled.

Edward reached out to take my hand. I realized that the first class was without Edward, and panic settled in again. Whether he read it in Jasper's mind - since my brother was in the car right next to the Volvo - or if he saw it written on my face, Edward leaned down and brushed his lips gently against mine.

He reached into his pocket and took out something. I couldn't see it because it was so small. His hand moved so fast, it blurred. He held up my hand with the charm bracelet on it, though, so I scrutinized it.

I saw a new charm and a smile broke out on my face. I had worn my charm for luck. Edward had given me a rose gold heart-shaped charm. There were two doves in it, surrounded by flowers. "I'll always be with you, Bella," he said softly, his hand coming up to stroke my hair.

I smiled at him. "We'll be fine," I said, reassuring the both of us.

Edward took my hand, pressed his lips to the back of my hand. "Let's go, love," he whispered. I nodded, and undid my seatbelt.

Edward climbed out of his side of the car, and jogged at human pace to my side. I grabbed my bag and climbed out, holding onto Edward's outstretched hand so that I wouldn't stumble and fall. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked towards the school.

Edward slung his arm around my shoulders, smiling. Alice and Jasper walked smoothly next to us, while Rosalie and Emmett hung back and walked behind us. They were obviously doing very Rosalie-and-Emmett-ish things so I was glad I couldn't see them.

As we approached the school, the people who were around gave us strange looks. They started whispering to their friends almost immediately after and I, for one, was glad I could neither read their thoughts nor hear what they were saying.

I felt a blush creeping onto my face, however, because I hated the attention anyway. Emmett and Rosalie waved us goodbye as they headed to their first class. Edward and Jasper walked Alice and I to homeroom.

Jasper and Alice embraced and I saw him whispering into her ear, making her giggle and stretch up on her toes to kiss him. I smiled at them.

Edward pressed me against the wall next to the door to homeroom. I smiled, both my hands in his as I pulled him closer. "I wish we have all our classes together," he sighed, resting his forehead on mine.

I nodded, then balked. "Well, not gym," I corrected him.

Edward laughed. "You're forgetting that I've seen your attempts at sports, Bella," he teased. "And it would be entertaining enough to see them again."

I scowled at him. "Not funny, Edward," I pouted. I was actually pretty good at certain sports. I was great at swimming simply because I'd done it for so many years. I was okay in tennis and a little of football - courtesy of Emmett and Jasper.

But I was mostly useless on foot. I knew baseball well and I could play it with humans, though.

I couldn't wait until I was a graceful vampire like the rest of the family. Honestly, I wanted to wrestle with Emmett. He had been boasting about his strength for as long as I could remember. Jasper told me all about how newborn vampires had crazy strength. They were supposed to be stronger than Emmett. I wanted to test out that theory.

Of course, Jasper had told me about how newborn vampires had uncontrollable thirst, too, so I might not get to.

Edward chuckled, and kissed the tip of my nose. I wrinkled it at him, and he smiled in amusement. "Sorry, love," he breathed, his sweet scent making me forget what I was thinking.

"W-what?" I stuttered. He threw his head back, laughing, and wrapped his arm around my waist. Lifting me off the ground, he slid his hand into my hair and tilted my head, angling it so he could kiss me.

I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him back eagerly. I hadn't kissed him enough today. Of course, I could have kissed him for three hours straight and still say the same thing.

I heard someone clearing their throat, but ignored them. That someone tugged at my hand and pulled me away from Edward. I blinked and turned to glare at Alice. "What?" I asked irritably.

She giggled, and nodded at the classroom. "The bell's going to ring soon," she said, grinning.

I sighed, and waved at Edward as he and Jasper walked away from us. Edward smiled and waved back.

I entered homeroom with a goofy smile plastered on my face. Alice giggled, sliding into her seat next to mine. "You know, I like the new you. All crazy happy with Edward," she commented.

I shared her smile, and leaned back against my chair. "I like the new me, too," I joked.

Alice leaned towards me. Her topaz eyes were sparkling which meant that she was thinking about shopping or something. "Rose and I talked last night, and we decided that we're going to New York for the first week of summer," she said excitedly.

Despite myself, I grew excited. I knew Alice was going to drag me along for shopping and whatnot, but how could anyone say no to New York?

I frowned. "I thought the family's going to Barcelona?"

Esme had recently acquired a villa in Barcelona. It was in a pretty secluded area, so we didn't have to worry about being seen.

Alice said there would be certain cloudy days for us to go out into the public once in a while, but we've got our own personal beach haven in the backyard according to Esme, so we'd have plenty of fun times there.

The entire family loved spending summers in sunny places since we had so little of it during the rest of the year. We normally get houses in sunny countries, but made sure that it was isolated from humans - or vampires, too - so we could enjoy a great summer vacation.

I was actually pretty excited to go to Spain. I was a straight A student in Spanish, and I was hoping I would get to test it out in Barcelona.

Alice shrugged. "We are. Esme said the villa still needed a little work, and I predicted," she tapped her temple lightly with one finger. "That it's going to take approximately six days. It gives you, Rose and I plenty of time to amble around NYC before going to Barcelona."

I grinned at Alice. This summer was going to be fantastic! New York and Barcelona? The beach? Edward? What could be better?

Alice started bouncing in her seat due to her excitement and mine. I swear, the girl could probably live off of excitement.

A hand slapped on my desk and I looked up into the narrowed eyes of Lauren Mallory. "So, what? Too bored with French hottie and decided to move in on Edward?" she asked nasally.

I rolled my eyes. Gabriel wasn't even in America anymore or did she not notice that? Alice spoke up before I could, "Lauren, it's none of your business."

Lauren turned her gaze to Alice, surprised. I watched as anger overtook her features. As much as she wanted to, I knew Lauren would never say anything to a Cullen. She was too afraid.

She turned back to me and folded her arms across her chest. I cleared my throat. "Teacher's here," I told her bemusedly. Was it really necessary for her to go around playing these insipid high school games? It was a complete waste of time.

She snorted. "As if. Don't even try to fool me, Bella," she snapped.

"Ms. Mallory, please take your seat. I'd like to start my class, if you don't mind," the teacher said bitingly.

Lauren spun around, startled, then went to her seat, mortified.

Alice and I shared a look and giggled. We placed a hand over our hearts, heads tilting towards each other. We each pulled a perfect pout and sang, "Poor Lauren!"

"Ms. Cullen! Ms. Hale! Will you be quiet!?" the teacher asked irritably.

We burst into even louder laughter. I couldn't help myself. I felt so happy, so lighthearted. The teacher huffed and turned to the rest of the class, annoyed.

Alice and I shared a look. She grinned and whispered, "Best summer ever."

I couldn't help but agree.

******************************************************************************

I changed quickly for gym class. Coach Clapp wanted us to swim today. Normally we would freeze if we stepped into the pool, even though it was indoor. Today was one of those rare days when it was cloudy but warm enough for swimming.

Coach Clapp made us do laps for half the period. It wasn't really all that tiring for me, since I was used to exerting my legs in the water all the time. Alice kept complaining about how I looked like a prune after my swimming time.

Coach let us do whatever we want in the pool for the rest of the period while he went to his office. He had something important to do, apparently.

I ducked under the water and resurfaced, wiping water from my face as I sucked in oxygen. Have I mentioned how much I loved swimming? Being in the water reminded me of Edward. _Hmm, wonder why?_ I thought sarcastically.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I looked over to find Tyler grinning at me. "Wow, you're a pretty great swimmer, Bella," he said, looking really surprised. I heard that Tyler was on the swim team, so I supposed it was a compliment. I knew the reason he was so surprised - I was normally a klutz.

I laughed. "Thanks, Tyler," I said genuinely.

He still had a stunned look on his face. "Seriously. Where'd you learn to swim like that?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Edward and my brothers. They're very athletic," I said unnecessarily. Everyone knew the Cullens were athletic. It was why they were so surprised I wasn't. It could be argued that I was adopted, but so were the rest of the Cullens.

Lauren swam right up to Tyler and wrapped her arms around his neck. I thought this was pretty bold considering Tyler wasn't her boyfriend. Then again, she was a lot more confident than I was, especially when it came to boys. "Ty," she whined. "Come swim with me."

Tyler untangled Lauren's arms from around his neck, his eyes never leaving me. I shifted uncomfortably, and blushed. "Uh, I'll just go swim over there," I said awkwardly. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the middle of that, particularly with Lauren Mallory involved.

I heard Tyler and Lauren arguing about something, then someone bumping into me. I turned to look into the outraged face of one Lauren Mallory. "So Cullen's not good enough for you now?" she snapped.

The entire gym class had stopped to look at us. I heard Tyler calling out to Lauren, telling her 'not to do this'. I flushed, realizing that all the attention was on me. _Great. Just great!_

I made to swim away, but Lauren grabbed my arm. "You have to move in on my guy, now?" she spat out.

I shook her hand off. "Lauren, I'm not interested in Tyler," I said irritably. I hoped I didn't hurt Tyler's feelings in any way, but I needed to get the message across. Tyler probably already knew I wasn't interested in him, anyway.

Lauren narrowed her eyes at me. "Right," she said sarcastically. "The same way you told Jessica you weren't interested in Edward."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Edward and I are none of your business, Lauren," I said firmly, practically repeating what Alice had said in homeroom.

I wanted to just swim away again, but something caught my eye - Edward, walking into the room. He sat at the bleachers, and smiled at me. I frowned confusedly at him. Alice danced in, holding Jasper's hand, followed by Emmett and Rosalie. What was going on?

Lauren followed my line of sight, then smirked. "Since your precious Edward's here, why don't we have a little competition?" she sang out in her nasal voice. It hurt my ears to hear her speak so loudly.

I glanced warily at her as she floated backwards slowly. "What kind of competition?" I asked carefully. If it had anything to do with sports, I didn't even want to consider it.

Lauren gestured around us. "A swimming competition."

I felt a huge smile spreading across my face, and Alice's tinkling laughter floated towards me. So this was why they were all here - Alice had seen this competition. Lauren must have been planning on challenging me.

I tried to hide my smile. "I don't think so," I said, shaking my head.

Lauren sneered at me. "Scared, Hale?"

I snorted. "Hardly. But it's childish and, frankly, stupid. Why should I participate?" I asked her point blank.

She stared at me, mouth hanging. The anger in her eyes was evident. She looked as if she was about to strangle me.

"Come on, Bells!" Emmett yelled from the bleachers. Those who hadn't realized that the Cullens and Hales were in the room jumped and looked over at them. I heard their whispers and the giggles from the girls starting up.

I pretended to sigh, and sag my shoulders. "Okay," I mock grumbled.

Lauren smirked at me and went to the end of the pool. I followed, making sure to swim slowly. "To the end of the pool, and back," she said loudly, making sure everyone heard her.

I didn't say anything as I waited for someone to tell us to start. Jessica yelled out, "Go!" in a high-pitched squeal.

I swam to the end of the pool, letting the familiar feel of the water surround me as I moved. Another thing I loved about swimming was that I could move gracefully in the water - something I could never do on land.

I had moved to the end and back when Lauren was still making her way to where I was. Cheers erupted and I heard the loudest from my family.

I climbed out of the pool and found myself standing face to face with Edward. "You suck," I whispered to him. "Not even a little warning?"

He laughed, and wrapped a towel around my shoulders. I wrapped it around my body, shivering slightly. "Sorry, love. Alice didn't see it until our last class."

"So all of you ditched class to see this?" I asked amusedly. He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around me, bringing his lips to mine. He kissed me softly several times, each time sending shivers down my spine. I smiled up at him.

Lauren finally made her way to the starting point and glared up at me. "Rematch," she demanded, but I shook my head.

I looked at her with a frown on my face. "I won fair and square, Lauren. It's not my fault you weren't fast enough," I teased.

The bell rung, signaling the end of classes for today. Edward took my hand and led me towards the door. I sighed, resting my head on his shoulders as the others joined us.

I didn't know what I was so worried about. It's a wonderful life, after all.

______________________________________________________________________________

_LOL. Couldn't help the ending._

_Okay, so the bad guy story arch wasn't in this chapter. I just realized something - summer's going to be in two months, in this story. I can't add the bad guy yet. Someone mentioned that it's too early for a bad guy?? I agree. Too much has happened in their one year in FHS. I'll wait until next year. Sorry if some of you were waiting for that. I'm gonna write about their summer next chapter._

_To SeanEmma4Evr, Jonas Brothers also wasn't around at that time since I put them in at quite an early period of the timeline. But I didn't want to look for 90s songs or anything. I just stuck to whatever was on the radio. LOL. Anyway, thanks for reading._

_I'm sorry this chapter took longer than usual. Thanks for reading, and please review._

_Juliet._


	42. Summertime Part 1 aka NYC

_**A/N:**__ I am so sorry that I haven't posted in over a week. I went through a really rough patch, so there wasn't even a tiny bit of spirit left in me to write. I'm still recovering, but it's bearable for me to start again. I hope this chapter makes up for my absence and is up to standard._

_Summertime!!! Gotta love it. Anyway, it's pretty much more fluff in this chapter._

_P.S. 5000 reviews?? I have no idea what to say to that except thank you!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Alice, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

Finally, the first day of summer was here! Rosalie, Bella and I were already packed. Our flight was going to leave in two hours. It was still fairly - for a human, at least. Bella was yawning as she curled up next to Edward on the couch.

The poor guy was kissing every inch of her face. On one hand, it was waking her up more than coffee ever could, so I wasn't complaining. On the other, he was acting as if he would never see her again.

He growled at me, glaring at having heard my thoughts. _You're the nosy one_, I thought at him while I stuck my tongue out at him.

To be honest, Jasper and Emmett weren't doing any better. Emmett was complaining to Rose about how he wouldn't be able to stand a week without sex, and Jasper was just holding me while giving me waves of love and longing in hopes that I would cancel the trip.

"Come on, guys!" I groaned. "It's not the end of the world. It's one week!" Jasper only tightened his hold on me, and nuzzled my neck.

I had to admit - I was very tempted to stay…

But New York would be New York, no matter what. After everything that had happened in the past few months, I think the girls and I deserve some bonding time.

I knew Rose was irritated that she had less time with her daughter, and I was plain pissed that Edward hogged Bella all the time. It only made me angrier that he kept lying and said that Bella _didn't want _shopping time with me.

Now, we all know that that's just not true.

I turned to Jazz, placed my hands on his shoulders and kissed him long and hard. Finally, I pulled away and looked into his darkened eyes. I giggled, kissing him once more briefly before breaking out of his embrace.

I pulled Rosalie and Bella out of the door and into Bella's McLaren. She had insisted on driving it one more time before having to spend a week without it. She had wanted it delivered to Barcelona for the summer since she didn't get a lot of chances to drive it during the school semester.

Edward followed us because he was going to have to drive it back to the house after we'd gone on our flight. I heard Emmett and Jasper complaining in the house and shared a devious smirk with Rosalie.

The greatest thing about leaving them high and dry was that they were more…_Primal _when we finally reunited.

I felt a shiver of pleasure run down my spine as I thought of what my Jazzy and I would do once we get back-

Edward groaned, dropping his head in his hands as he sat in the passenger's seat. "Alice, you know I can't turn my gift off whenever I want. Would you please hold off thinking of that until you're in a mind-reader-free zone?" he snapped at me.

Bella snickered, and leaned across to kiss him gently. She settled back in her seat and snapped on her seatbelt.

Our bags had already been loaded into the trunk. Bella had no idea why we even needed to bring so much since one of my main goals was to shop 'til Bella dropped. I really wondered if she was insane sometimes.

She stepped on the gas and we were on our way. Bella drove slower than the rest of us simply because she was human and didn't want to get into an accident. She drove faster than your average human, though, so it was alright.

We reached the airport in record time. At the gate, Edward spun Bella around and hugged her tightly. "I'll really miss you," he murmured.

Bella, very predictably, blushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. She pressed a kiss to his neck, then turned to me. "Aw, Alice, do we have to go?" she pleaded. Edward shot me a smug look, as if to say 'See? She wants to stay with _me_!'

I planted both my hands on my hips and glared at them. "Yes! We have to go and you're going to have fun, damn it! Bella, stop being a push-over and Edward stop dazzling her!" I ordered.

Edward rolled his eyes and ignored me. He turned to her and bent to kiss her. I turned away to give them some privacy.

I walked some distance away and stood next to Rosalie as we waited for Bella to finish saying goodbye to Edward. It was the longest she had ever been away from him ever since Edward stopped being stupid in Denali. I could understand how hard it was for them.

Rose was looking at her feet sadly. I wrapped my arm around her slender waist and she looked at me. "You miss having her all to yourself, don't you?" I asked her, already knowing her answer.

Rosalie sighed and nodded her head. She shook her blonde mane back, dazzling three human males standing nearby. "Yeah. But, you know, I keep thinking back all those years and I just can't help but wonder…What if she was never mine to begin with? What if she had always been Edward's?"

I shook my head. "Come on, Rose. You know she loves you. Your opinion means everything to her. You don't think it's hard for her to finally find her true love, and have her best-friend-other-than-me-slash-mother be against it?"

She bit her lip, looking guilty for a second. "I guess I have been kinda hard on them, haven't I?" she asked awkwardly. I nodded my head, giving her a pout. She laughed, and patted my head. "I'll talk to Bells."

I brightened up. "That's what this trip is all about - girl bonding time!" I cheered. Esme was supposed to join us, but she and Carlisle were taking a week-long fifty-third honeymoon on Isle Esme. That trip was going to make her happier than anything NYC could offer.

I felt a little bad about the boys being left behind on their own for a whole week, but they could find something to entertain themselves with. Hunting, video games, new Italian shoes…

I caught a whiff of Bella's scent as it grew stronger. I already saw Edward leaving in her McLaren, but asked her anyway. She looked upset as she nodded her head.

I wrapped my free arm around her waist, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. "Come on, angel. You'll have plenty of fun in NYC, and I promise you that you'll forget all about Eddiekins," I teased.

Bella snorted. "Don't ever tell him you called him that," she warned teasingly.

We went through the gate and on our flight. We had gotten first class seats, of course, so it was pretty comfortable.

I let Bella and Rosalie sit together because Rose obviously wanted more time with her little Bella. I knew she wasn't a six year old anymore, but they still needed to reconnect. Rose needed to know that Bella would always be her daughter, and Bella needed to spend more time with her mother.

It was a six hours direct flight to New York. I took out my iPod and my copy of Vogue. I peeked over at Rose and Bella in the seat on the opposite aisle. Bella had slid an arm through Rose's and had rested her head on Rose's shoulder. Rosalie was smiling down at Bella.

I grinned and went back to my magazine. I kept getting visions of all the shopping we would be doing and while I was the one deciding on the sprees, it was still exhilarating to _see _them.

I suddenly had a vision of a lanky boy about twenty years old of age approaching me. I frowned, then looked up. The same boy I saw in my vision grinned at me. He had spiky black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a suit which was strange for a person so young as him. He screamed 'rich daddy', though.

He sat next to me and gave me something that that was probably supposed to be a seductive smile. "Hey there, gorgeous," he said.

I sighed. Already, I missed Jasper's Southern drawl and his lazy smile. I didn't know why but when Jasper smiled that lazy grin, it reminded me of Sunday mornings in bed.

I ignored the slimy human next to me and flipped through my magazine. _Cute jacket_…I practically drooled over a jacket from Ralph Lauren.

The guy beside me stuck his hand between my nose and the magazine. I blinked, pulling back and turning to glare at him. His smile wavered but his hand still remained in front of me. "I'm Chase," he introduced himself.

I didn't want to touch his hand, so I gave him a cold smile and said, "Alice."

He still wasn't fazed as he dropped his hand. "Is this flight totally lame or what?" he said, grinning. "I bet you and I could make it a lot more interesting…" He placed a hand on my knee.

I made a face when he started to move his hand up my leg. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight enough to hurt but not enough to break the bones. Close enough, though. Chase flinched in pain and I practically threw his hand back at him. "Don't touch me," I snapped.

Chase glared at me, then asked for a drink from a passing stewardess - whom he flirted with, as well. I rolled my eyes. Just my luck. A too horny kid to sit next to for the next five or so hours.

When we finally landed, I shot out of my seat and dragged Rose and Bella off the flight before horny boy could even stand up. Rosalie and Bella were giggling the whole way - Rose had heard the whole thing, of course, and had filled Bella in on the details.

I glared at them both. "Just for that," I glowered pointedly at Bella. "We're spending every minute from now until tonight shopping."

Her laughter ceased and her smile slipped from her face. I grinned smugly.

We took a limo to the hotel I had booked a suite in. We were going to rent a car once we were settled in.

The hotel was my favorite part of the trip so far. I knew it's only been a few minutes since we'd landed, but that was my point. The shopping and the night life would overtake the hotel in its number one spot, no doubt.

Bella raised an eyebrow and Rosalie snorted with laughter as they saw the hotel's name. "The Carlyle?" Bella asked slowly, turning to me.

I grinned, bouncing up and down in excitement as a bell boy came up to the limo to get our luggage. "Isn't it ironic?" I gushed. It was a pretty old-fashioned hotel, but it was luxurious and beautiful at the same time. I had been drawn to it by its name, of course.

We stepped inside and I asked for our reservation under 'Cullen'.

I had booked the Tower Suite online. It was a one bedroom suite because only Bella needed the sleep. Since Jazz nor Emmett were here with us, Rosalie and I really didn't need beds. It had two bathrooms so two could use the bathroom at the same time.

We went up to the Tower Suite, Rosalie and Bella holding hands like they used to. I was telling them about the jacket I was examining before whatshisname on the flight interrupted me. I opened the door and the three of us went in.

Bella gasped as she looked out the ceiling to floor window overlooking Central Park. "This is amazing," she said, in awe.

I danced over to her and dragged her over to the next room. "You haven't seen the best part," I sang out. Bella froze when she saw the grand piano in the middle of the room. I giggled at the look on her face.

She rushed over to the piano and ran her finger along its side. "Nice," she commented, grinning. "I thought I was going to have to spend an entire week without playing."

Bella was as obsessed with the piano as Edward but I knew it was just because of said vampire best friend turned soul mate.

Her cell phone started to ring, and Bella quickly searched her new Gucci bag - which I'd gotten for her, of course - for it. She smiled when she saw the Caller ID.

I rolled my eyes. That only meant one thing.

I headed to the other room to get Rosalie. "Tell Edward I said hi. And don't be too long. Rose and I are going to get our car rental. You stay here and get ready for when we get back. Shopping 'til night time, Bells, hope you're ready!" I called out to her.

Bella needed to do all the trivial human things like going to the bathroom and whatnot. It had been a six hour flight, after all. I grabbed Rose and headed to the foyer. The bell boy had already come up with our things.

I heard Bella laugh as she greeted Edward on the phone. "No, I just landed…Guess what's the hotel Alice took us to?"

I grinned, sharing a look with Rosalie as we headed out the door. Those two were such goofy lovebirds.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I groaned as I flopped onto the soft mattress in my bedroom.

Rosalie and Alice were in the living room of our suite. I heard the TV as they had more girl bonding time. _I _was about ready to run back to Forks on foot and have some one on one wrestling match with Emmett just to escape girl bonding time.

I heard the soft melody of the lullaby Edward wrote for me, and smiled. I reached into my bag and pulled out my cell phone. "'lo?" I rasped out, already knowing who would be on the other hand.

His melodic velvet voice filled my ears as he laughed. "Brutal day?" he teased.

I groaned. "The worst. Alice sucks," I mumbled.

"Hey!" I heard her protest from the living room.

I glared at my closed bedroom door. "You deserve it!" I yelled. "My feet have never been so sore…" I moaned. I rolled over to my back and glanced at the mountain of shopping bags next to my door. And to think, it was only the first day in New York.

Edward chuckled. "Surely it isn't that bad?" he asked lightly, though I could detect a hint of worry behind it. After all, the first time Alice took me shopping, I had actually fainted. It wasn't my best memory. In fact, I'd like it if everyone just forgot about it - especially Emmett.

I tried to pacify his worries. "Nothing Tylenol and a good night's rest can't cure," I joked.

"Are you ready to sleep now, love?" he asked me gently.

I shook my head. He was silent on the other end, making me remember through my tired haze that he couldn't see me. "No," I replied verbally. I yawned in the middle of my answer, though.

Edward's voice was laced with amusement as he spoke again. "You're tired, Bella. Go to sleep," he said firmly.

I pouted on instinct. "But I miss you!" I complained. "I don't want to go to sleep."

He laughed. "I'll call you again in a few hours once you're awake. Sleep, Bella, love. Knowing Alice, she's got a very tiring day planned tomorrow."

I started to protest, but he was already humming my lullaby. My heavy eyelids started to droop even more. "Cheater," I mumbled.

"I love you, Bella."

I snorted, but said, "Love you too."

******************************************************************************

Alice dragged me out of bed at seven in the morning. She wanted to get a start on her second day in New York. It was too early for the shops to be open, so we decided to sightsee.

Rose ordered me room service while I showered and changed into the new clothes Alice had gotten for me yesterday. Thank God none of them were I-heart-NY shirts.

I stepped out of the en suite bathroom just in time to hear my phone ringing. I grabbed it and flipped it on. "Edward?" I answered breathlessly, having scrambled the entire length of my room to get to it.

"Good morning, love."

I smiled at the sound of his sweet voice. It was like the lollipop you get after a dentist appointment. Or before in this case…Which really didn't make any sense at all.

I honestly made no sense without breakfast.

I glanced down at myself and blushed. Although Edward couldn't see me, I still felt self-conscious talking to him while wearing only a towel. Call me crazy, but I'd rather be fully clothed when we spoke. "Good morning, Edward…Do you think you could hold on a minute?" I mumbled.

Edward sounded confused as he answered. "Of course, Bella." It was times like these that I was extremely grateful he didn't have Alice's visions.

Although the passion got the better of us from time to time, I really wasn't ready to have Edward seeing me like this. It was irrational, considering he'd seen me in a bikini but still…

Had I mentioned how incredibly idiotic I sounded before breakfast?

I quickly grabbed the clothes Alice had left for me on the bed and slipped them on. Once I was done, Alice slipped into the room to do my hair.

I took my phone and pressed it back to my ear. "How was your day yesterday?" I asked him, genuinely curious. I wanted to know what Emmett and Jasper did without Rosalie and Alice.

They would have gone hunting…Except that they'd done so with the girls just before we left for New York. They would have played video games but they did that all the time anyway. Knowing those two, they would have gotten into trouble. Maybe they'd gotten arrested and Edward had to bail them out?

Edward chuckled. "Emmett wanted to try drinking alcohol," he said amusedly.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I heard Alice laughing and Rosalie swearing from the other room. "Why on earth would he do that?" I asked blankly. Vampires couldn't get drunk…Could they?

"He wanted to find out if vampires could get drunk," Edward replied jubilantly. Emmett and I sometimes think alike - which wasn't necessarily a good thing.

I bit my lip, holding in my smile. "Did it work?" I asked excitedly. It would be fun to see if Emmett could get drunk. If he was funny without alcohol, I could only imagine what he would be like as a swaggering drunken fool.

Edward chuckled. "No, love. He had to vomit it all back out after it felt like too much water was sloshing around in his stomach-"

I shuddered, cutting him off. "Edward, a simple 'no', would've been fine…I just lost my appetite," I told him unhappily.

I could practically hear him smiling from the other end. "I'm sorry, Bella…How are things in New York? Was I right about Alice?"

I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut as Alice yanked the brush through my hair roughly once just for revenge. When I opened my eyes, I saw her poking her tongue out at me through the mirror. I laughed, "Yes, you were. She's got the whole day planned. It's sightseeing and shopping today, then we're having our spa day tomorrow."

"It's not a lot of fun for you, is it?" he asked curiously.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm surprised you even have to ask," I shot back.

Alice finished with my hair and Rosalie bugged me to start with my breakfast. I sighed, "I have to go."

"I'll miss you."

I smiled. "I'll miss you, too."

Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bedroom. The living room was practically covered with food. I rolled my eyes, settling for some pancakes.

After I was done eating, Alice and Rosalie took my sightseeing. We saw the Empire State Building, went to Central Park when it was cloudy enough, and went to the Met.

Just when I thought my legs would fall off on their own, Alice and Rose decided that it was time to go shopping.

Rosalie wanted some new clothes to impress Emmett with. I didn't know why she even had to try. Firstly, she looked amazingly beautiful and irresistible in everything she wore. And secondly, Emmett was awed by her every moment of his existence. But Rose said it was just something she wanted to do for him - and for her.

The moment I caught on to that meaning, I had to take a breather and swallow some Tylenol.

Alice needed new shoes - not to mention she wanted to get some jacket she saw in a magazine or something on the flight to New York.

At some point, when I had really gone insane from looking at make-up, and bracelets and shoes, Alice pulled Rose and I into another store. That wasn't the surprise. What she threw at me to try on, however…

I held it away from me, a horrified look on my face. "Alice, I'm not even…What!?" I stuttered.

She smirked at me. "You never know when you'd need it, Bella," she told me knowingly. I glared at her. When would I ever need a little black mini dress? It didn't even look big enough to cover me.

I opened my mouth to argue but she had shoved me into a dressing room. I sighed, shaking my head and quickly changing into it. There really was no point in arguing with Alice when she wouldn't even give you a chance to speak.

By the end of the day, I was as tired as I was yesterday. I didn't care what Alice said - I was going to do some shopping of things that I wanted to get. I had promised to get presents for the rest of the family. Although Esme and Carlisle didn't regret not coming to New York with us, I knew the boys did. It was mostly because they couldn't be with their mates, but I still wanted to get them all something nice.

I was actually excited about being in New York. The shopping and all hadn't been so bad, if I really thought about it…I was glad I could spend time alone with Alice and Rosalie.

I knew Rose was upset that I was all grown up. To a vampire, I supposed ten years went by in the blink of an eye. I loved her, and she would always be my mother. She and Esme were amazing to me, but I supposed now I didn't so much needed a mother's protection. I needed a big sister. Rosalie understood that.

I knew Esme would always continue looking out for me maternally, but she acted that way towards everyone. Rosalie and I were in the awkward adjustment stage.

These past few days, I felt like Rose and I were somehow adjusting pretty well. Everything was going better than before. It felt like I didn't have to hold back as much as before just how grown up I was.

My phone rang and I smiled to myself. Edward was getting even more antsy today. He called me twice more than he did yesterday. I wondered how many times he would call me by the seventh day.

I answered on the third ring. "Hello, love," I answered lazily. I heard him chuckling on the other end, brightening my day. "I'll have you know that your pixie of a sister is completely crazy."

Edward laughed. "I could always rescue you, if you want…" he offered suggestively.

I giggled. "Edward, you're not even in the same state as I am," I reminded him. He mentioned something about being only hours away. I was about to protest - I actually enjoyed the girl bonding time - when Alice screamed out in protest.

I snorted. "You'd better not, Edward, or she'd tear your limbs off," I said in mock horror. I knew Alice wouldn't actually do that, but her aggressiveness when it came to having fun her way was well known.

"You're right, love…I've just missed you," he said. Although his tone was teasing, I could hear the sadness behind it.

I sighed. "I've missed you too, Edward. But it's only five days away now…" Somehow it didn't sound as comforting as it did in my head.

I yawned against my will. Edward, unfortunately, heard it and asked me to go to sleep. I protested. "Not yet, Edward, please," I begged. I really had missed him so much. If Jasper had been here, he would be on overload. I needed to hear his voice for a little while longer.

As if he understood, Edward relented. I asked him what he and the boys had been up to since this morning. "Emmett wanted to play a game…" I rolled my eyes. Nothing good could ever come out of that. "He decided on Truth or Dare. It was pointless playing with two people, so I had to join in," he told me. I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

I laughed, snuggling into a more comfortable position. I was still only clad in my bathrobe, so it was chilly. I dove under the covers, placing one folded arm behind my semi-wet hair. I smiled. "Did anyone get hurt?" I asked mockingly.

Edward chuckled. "Actually…There was a very interesting incident that happened in Port Angeles. One of Emmett's crazy dares for Jasper was for him to scare the shoppers. We were kicked out of four stores."

I rolled onto my back, laughing so hard it actually hurt to breathe. "Edward!" I gasped. "_You_!? Kicked out!?"

I heard Emmett in the background, yelling something about Captain Prude. Jasper jumped in about Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes. That only made me laugh harder. "I think I'm running out of oxygen," I gasped between fits of laughter.

I could practically see Edward's scowl as he shushed me. "Alright, alright. Enough amusement at my expense," he said, irritated.

I stifled my laughter. "I'm sorry, Edward," I said as soothingly as I could. I yawned again, and felt my eyelids drooping. "I love you."

My words must have sounded garbled from drowsiness, because Edward started humming my lullaby. "I love you, too."

******************************************************************************

"But-"

I held up a hand to silence her protests. "This is my vacation, too, Alice. I won't be treated like a shopping slave," I said, half-jokingly.

Alice pouted and I grinned, wrapping my arms around her waist from the side. "I promise we'll shop for clothes, Alice. I just need to get other things, as well," I promised softly.

She grinned at me, and kissed my cheek. "Thank you!" she chirped. I had asked her not to look into the future for the rest of the trip - I wanted to get everyone a present, including her, and I didn't want her to know what it was the moment I decided.

Rosalie came out of the bathroom, looking like the model on the cover of Vogue. She smiled widely at us. "Ready to go?" she asked in her sultry voice.

Alice and I nodded our heads and jumped up to leave. Rosalie chuckled at our eagerness and pushed the sunglasses on the top of her elegant hair down to cover her eyes.

We went to a little café in Nolita for breakfast. I ate quickly because I was excited about shopping for the family. I kept my mind undecided when it came to Alice's gift. I knew she had been cheating and checking the future because she kept shooting me disgruntled looks. I returned those with innocent smiles.

We went to SoHo to shop. I found an antique store that would be perfect to find Esme's gift in. I browsed around, unsure of what to get for her. She already has vases and all. Besides, she was extremely particular about her furniture and such. I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes at how hard it was to shop for my own mother.

"May I help you?"

I jumped and swiveled to find a woman in her late twenties smiling at me. She had red hair and bright green eyes. I realized she must be the sales girl. She smiled sweetly at me and I blushed, realizing that I'd been staring at an antique dresser for ten minutes straight.

I shot her an apologetic smile. "I'm looking for something for my mother," I explained. The woman smiled in understanding and led me away, gesturing towards a few items. I was right about vases - I couldn't get her another one of those, as much as she loved them.

I gasped when I saw an antique vanity dresser. It was beautifully crafted, cream colored and rose gold for the knobs on the drawers. The carvings around the mirror frame was so elegant…On the table, there was an antique Victorian cosmetic tabletop collection. There was a small cosmetic vase, a tissue box, table mirror, vanity tray and a hand mirror. They were all rose colored, with hints of gold.

I smiled. Esme would love this.

I gasped when Rosalie's voice startled me from behind. "Is that for Esme?" she asked, striding confidently towards me. She barely even glanced at the sales girl. I stifled a smile. As much as we loved each other, Rosalie couldn't stand other humans. It was rude from time to time, but it was just the way she was.

I nodded my head, biting my lip anxiously. "What do you think?" I asked. She was as good as Alice at predicting what others would and wouldn't like. "Do you think she'll like it?"

Rosalie pursed her lips and studied the vanity set with narrowed eyes. Finally, she turned her head to me and gave me a wide, warm smile. "I think she'll love it," she said gently.

I grinned and nodded to the sales girl. "I'll take this, then. All of it. Could you have it delivered to Barcelona?" I asked, heading over to the register. I didn't know where Esme wanted this, so I might as well give it to her straightaway so she could decide.

I made the arrangements, careful not to laugh out loud at the woman's confusion and discomfort and being treated so dismissively by Rosalie. I knew she was also intimidated by Rose's beauty - who wouldn't be?

We headed out, arm in arm, in search of Alice. Rosalie told me that she was looking for her jacket. I merely grinned at Rosalie - she was the one who had helped me pull off Alice's gift. I wasn't going to give it to her straightaway, though. I was going to let her fume about not getting the one of a kind jacket for a while.

We found Alice storming out of the store, steam practically coming out of her ears. "They don't have it," she said through gritted teeth. "How the hell could they not have it!?"

To soothe Alice, we dragged her into more retail outlets. I was able to sneak a leather jacket from Bloomingdale's for Rosalie - I knew her obsession with looking like she was some sort of rock goddess while driving her M3. Not that she needed to try looking beautiful and desirable…

Compared to tomorrow, today was actually a relief. Rosalie had booked all three of us a spa day. I hated those because they always made me go for those skin exfoliating things. It made me uncomfortable. Alice and Rose never felt a thing because their skin were marble hard.

We headed back to the hotel with twenty shopping bags for each of us. The bell boy looked like he was about to cry. I laughed, following Alice and Rosalie up to our room. I was pretty tired, but Rosalie said she wanted to take me out for dinner. I was more than happy to spend some time with her. Alice, sensing that it was mother-daughter bonding time, decided to skip dinner…As if she needed the food, anyway.

Alice made me change into a fancy dark blue dress. Of course only a Cullen would go to a fancy restaurant when they don't even eat. I didn't complain, though, because I'd missed being with Rosalie.

I didn't think we noticed it all that much but with everything going on, she and I weren't as close as we used to be.

I wanted things to be how they were before and I was willing to do whatever it took.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

I slipped on my red dress, fixed my hair and put on my gold heels. I touched up my lipstick and grabbed my purse.

I was taking Bella out to dinner. It would just be me and her tonight. Alice was staying home. She was probably going to call Jasper and spend time talking mushy stuff with him. I couldn't care less.

I knew that the little Bella I knew all those years ago was now all grown up. I wanted so desperately to grasp that because it was the only way for me to be a part of this new life of hers. I knew Alice would call me being overdramatic, but I wasn't.

Bella was a woman now, whether I babied her all the time or not. I had seen her spark of independence even at age six, and now it shone brightly. Not only that, she was taking control of her life.

Her decision to be with Edward, her love for him…God, when I see them together sometimes, I wouldn't know if I should chase him out of the house snarling like a rabid vampire or glow with pride that they have finally found each other.

I was happy for her, more than she understood. I was just having trouble adjusting to the fact that she didn't need me anymore. It didn't matter what she said. I knew she loved me, and I loved her, too. But it was a fact that Bella didn't need me to be her mother. She was capable of handling herself and Edward was right there beside her, helping her along.

I drove Bella to this tiny little restaurant. It was cozy and comfortable, but stylish enough for us. Well, for me, anyway. Bella wouldn't have cared if we stopped at a drive thru.

Bella and I sat at a round table and she ordered herself a coke. I tried not to glare at her for ordering a caffeinated drink when she knew what caffeine did to her system. I had to leave the motherly duties to Esme now.

We chatted a little about simple things. School was interesting for her. I knew she connected with Angela Webber quite well. They were friends in Forks before Bella Swan became Bella Hale.

Bella blushed a lot when we talked about boys - she was still deep in denial that the perverted thoughts of the immature teenagers in Forks High were centered around her. And me, but that was to be expected.

I forced Bella to get a chocolate mousse. She loved it, but she was always so embarrassed to get what she wanted. If Edward was still being stupid and hadn't gone for it, Bella would still be hidden under her covers, hiding her permanent blush.

I sighed, looking at the beautiful girl sitting in front of me. She wasn't the awkward, shy girl that had been given to me all those years ago. She was a beautiful, graceful woman. She might not have a lot of confidence and 'graceful' might not have been the right word when it came to using her legs, but she was so…Pure and wonderful.

I couldn't help but miss the little girl who would call me 'mommy' instead of 'Rosalie', but I knew it was time for her to grow up. She was already almost there. Her life had taken on so many changes, and more were yet to come.

I wanted to be a part of her life, a part of her decisions and a part of her eternity. I took her hand and squeezed gently. Bella looked up at me with confused eyes. I smiled, "Bella, I need to tell you something…"

I bit my lip. "You and I haven't been all that close with each other lately, and I don't like it. I'm so used to being involved in your life that it's just not right. Not for me," I said, my voice almost pleading. Bella opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head slightly, silencing her.

"I need to tell you this. I've been holding on to the memory of you as a little child. You weren't just Esme's second chance, you were mine, too. But now…Looking at you, seeing this beautiful woman sitting in front of me, I know now. I can't baby you around forever. I can't be the overprotective mother. But I want to be your friend."

Bella smiled widely at me. "Rose, I may not need you to hold my hand when I'm scared anymore-"

I couldn't help but mutter, "No, you have Edward for that."

She laughed. "But I still need you. You…You're like the really awesome big sister, you know? How you always protect me, and care for me? How you always calm the overexcited middle sister…Everything we have, I'm never giving up. So, yeah, a lot has changed. But I still love you. Calling you 'mom' would be strange right now, but it's there. I just need you to be the greatest big sister we all know you are," she leaned forward and kissed me cheek lightly.

I couldn't help myself - I threw my arms around her in a bone crushing hug.

******************************************************************************

"It's just so _embarrassing_," Bella shuddered. She had her arms crossed across her chest and was glaring out the window, her cheeks tinted red.

I laughed as I drove my M3. Alice giggled along with me. We were headed for our spa day. As vampires, there were very little things Alice and I could do. We couldn't get massages because our body were rock hard. The facial wouldn't do anything, but we normally went for it anyway. We didn't have any hair to wax. I enjoyed the pedicures and manicures and the amenities, of course.

Bella, however, hated spa days. She'd told us once before that beauty shouldn't hurt so much, right after her first waxing session. This had caused Alice to end up in hysterics. Bella found spa days to be embarrassing somehow.

We arrived at the spa, and I parked. I beamed up at the building, already relaxed beyond belief. I climbed out of my car, and tapped my foot impatiently for Bella. "Come on! We're going to need a relaxing day for tonight," I said, slipping in the mystique of Alice's plan tonight.

Bella, of course, caught on. She glanced nervously between Alice and I. "Tonight?" she asked nervously. What goes on tonight?"

Alice cackled. Bella jumped, a look of fear passing through her eyes. I didn't blame her - a few decades ago, I was in her exact place whenever Alice laughed that maniacal laugh of hers. "You'll see," she said, her voice ominous.

We stepped into the spa, Bella humming with nervousness, and got started. All we had to do was say the name 'Cullen'. Sometimes, there were perks of being what I was.

Bella was whisked away for her massage and facial. Alice and I went to get our nails done. I knew we could do it on our own and do it faster, but it was nice to pamper ourselves once in a while.

Alice and I started discussing about tonight.

Bella had a list of things to do before she gave up her human life. It was aptly titled 'Human Experiences'.

Although some of the items on the list were dangerous and slightly ridiculous - such as skydiving - all of us wanted her to experience them. It was true that she could easily skydive when she was a vampire, but there would be no adrenaline rush. Her heart wouldn't pound a mile a minute. Her face wouldn't flush with the excitement.

One of the things on the list was to go to a club and get drunk, courtesy of Emmett. Since Edward and Esme would lose their minds if Bella even suggested it back in Forks, Alice and I had decided we should let her do it here.

What better place to get drunk in that New York? I had no idea what the answer to that question is, but I'd be at peace of mind if I was there with her. There was no way in hell I was going to let her get drunk with Emmett. He'd just let her do embarrassing things the whole night and film it.

Alice and I would be there to make sure Bella didn't drink too much and poison herself instead. We were also there to make sure she would have fun.

We had already bought her an outfit for the club. Although she had no idea what it was for, her had thrown a fit when Alice asked her to try it on at the store.

We finished with our manicures and pedicures and headed for the sauna. Alice started snickering. I shot her a questioning look, and she whispered, "Waxing."

I threw my head back and laughed, causing one of the male staff walking by with an armload of towels to drop the towels and walk straight into a door. I grinned at this.

Bella met us in the sauna, grumbling and hissing like a hairless cat. I smirked at her, crossing my arms across my shoulders. "Have fun yet?" I teased.

She scowled at me and threw my own patented 'Rosalie-Hale-glare' at me. "That was torture," she moaned.

Alice laughed. "Well, everything from here on out is painless, so relax tiger kitty," she said jokingly, using the nickname we had for Bella whenever she grew angry. Bella hated it.

I winked at Alice, and grinned widely at Bella. She groaned, and rolled her eyes. "When you smile like that, Rose, I _know _something's going to go horribly wrong," she told me warily.

I huffed, shaking my head. "You're being dramatic-"

"Says our very own drama queen," Bella interjected.

I ignored that jibe. "We were just discussing our plans for this evening," I informed her pleasantly.

She raised an eyebrow at us, her eyes darting from Alice to me and back again. "Which would be?" she prompted.

Alice wagged a finger at Bella. "Nah uh! You'll find out tonight," she promised. Bella glared at Alice. I heard her heart pounding and tasted the faint traces of fear in the air surrounding Bella. She knew fully well that Alice and I could go wild when we wanted to.

I stood up and patted Bella on the shoulder. She sighed at my cool touch. I laughed. "Come on, let's get cleaned up."

Alice and I didn't run into anyone on the way to the shower which was a good thing. They would have questioned why Bella's skin was slick with sweat like a normal person's after going into the sauna, and Alice and I were dry as bone.

I sighed, shaking my head. Maybe I could convince Esme to buy us our own spa. It would be a lot easier. It wouldn't really take all that much to convince her, anyway. She loved the pampering as much as I did.

I showered and changed into my outfit. It was time for Bella to have one very interesting human experience.

******************************************************************************

_Alice's POV_

I hummed to the lyrics of Katy Perry's song as I applied a little blush to my pale cheeks. I was already dressed in my emerald dress. It was pretty amazing, if I said so myself. It came up to my knees, and it had diamonds for the straps on my shoulder.

Rosalie came into the bathroom and smiled brightly at me. Her dress was as provocative as all of Rosalie's dresses were. It covered her to her thigh, had a plunging neckline and was a stunning deep red. It looked amazing on Rosalie.

I heard Bella giving a small scream and shared an amused look with Rose. She must have found the dress she was supposed to wear for tonight.

"Alice!" I heard her shout angrily.

I put down the blush and left Rosalie to fix her own make-up. I pranced into Bella's bedroom and gave her a disapproving look. She was looking at the dress on the bed in horror. It was a deep blue, with a front and back v-neckline. It had a beaded empire waist and a satin sash tie around the waist.

Bella would look amazing in it, if she got over her shyness in the next ten minutes.

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. "You know I can't wear that…It's too… Showy," she said lamely.

I grinned wickedly, picked up the dress and shoved it into her arms. "Which is exactly why you need to wear it," I cooed. She gave me a haughty look, but I wasn't fazed. "Come on. Just trust me. Tonight has something to do with your list, now go!"

I curled Bella's hair so that it fell in luscious waves, and Rose did her make-up. By the time we were done, Bella looked old enough to pass for eighteen. I smiled. Perfect.

We jumped into our rented convertible and sped off to the hottest club in town. As Rosalie parked, Bella gave us questioning looks. "Why are we in front of a club!?" she asked, a note of distaste in her voice.

I giggled. She had been spending way too much time with Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes a.k.a. her boyfriend, Edward.

Rosalie turned off the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition. "Don't you remember your list, Bella?" she asked, turning to face our favorite little human. "Emmett and Jasper suggested you get drunk for one time, and you put it on the list…"

Bella's eyes lit up with recognition. I saw the anxiety in her eyes but more importantly, I saw the excitement.

Suddenly, she shot an incredulous look at Rose. "You're letting me do this?" she asked, aghast. "A week ago I couldn't watch TV before finishing my homework, and now you're willingly getting me drunk?"

Rose threw her head back, letting her blonde mane fly over her shoulders. "Alice and I won't let anything bad happen to you," she said firmly, as if she was assuring herself more than anything. "It's a human experience. Once you're a vampire, you can never get drunk. As long as you don't do anything stupid or illegal-"

"Right, because getting a sixteen year old girl into a club so she could get drunk is incredibly legal," Bella quipped sarcastically.

"-We're both okay with it," Rosalie finished as if Bella hadn't interrupted her.

I reached to the front and grabbed Bella in an awkward hug, maneuvering around the console. "Come on, Bella…It's a once in a lifetime thing! You know Edward would never allow it back home, and Carlisle and Esme would have a fit!"

Bella bit her lip, considering. I could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she made her decision. Finally, her future for the night came to me bright and clear. I squealed and clapped my hands together excitedly.

Bella lifted her head and smiled at the both of us. I could sense she was still a little nervous, though. "Alright," she said determinedly. "Let's do this."

We stepped out of the car and went to the front of the club. There was a long line of people waiting for the bouncer to let them in, but we ignored them. Bella seemed a little nervous and, not for the first time, I wished I had Jasper's gift. I leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Look confident. Rose will get us in there faster than you can blink."

Bella squared her shoulders and straightened her spine. She walked fluently next to me. I had my arm wound around hers to balance her in case she tripped.

Rosalie walked right up to the bouncer and gave him a flirtatious smile. "Can we get in?" she asked. Leaning in closer, she whispered something into his ear. It made him smile like a kid on Christmas morning. He let all three of us through.

Ignoring the protests of the people behind us, we stepped into the club. I wrinkled my nose a little at the atmosphere. It was slightly smoky. The lights flashed from the dancing floor, and the smell of alcohol was tangible.

Bella looked around the club with eager eyes. I remembered that it was the first time she had ever been inside a club. I wondered if Esme would call this corrupting Bella…She was only sixteen years old.

My devilish side kicked my conscience right out the window as Bella's face broke into a huge grin. She only had about a year left to be human. Besides, we were there. What was the worst that could happen?

******************************************************************************

Bella downed her third shot of vodka for the night. She was already tipsy, having tried a few different alcoholic beverages. She had a sheen of sweat on her face because she had been dancing with Rose and I.

Rosalie was still on the dance floor, dazzling every male in the vicinity and making every woman murderous with envy.

I was keeping watch on Bella. I wasn't going to complain. Drunk Bella was much too funny to be boring. She stumbled towards where I sat on a stool at the bar and threw her arms around my neck. Her bright brown eyes were glazed over. "Ali!" she squealed loudly, causing the few people around us who could hear her over the music turn to look at us.

I smiled amusedly at Bella. "D'you know you're short?" Bella asked, her voice slurred. I rolled my eyes and attempted to place Bella on a stool. I could have easily lifted her and placed her on the stool next to me, but it would have been suspicious. Bella stumbled back into me. I gave up and just held her upright. "Can we go see Dracula?"

I laughed, shaking my head. Rosalie was smirking, as well, having heard Bella's request all the way from the dance floor. Bella squealed with excitement at the drink in front of her. I sighed. The Long Island Iced Tea. If I had known that Bella would act so giddy as a drunk, I would have forced alcohol down her throat before every shopping spree.

She slurped down half the drink, then grabbed my hand. "Let's dance, Ali," she called out, hobbling over to the dance floor.

I giggled at her attempts to stand upright and sway to the music. She really was a funny drunk. "Are you sure you're up to it?" I asked her, not even worried as she tipped over slightly. I knew she would be fine…Except for the hangover she would get tomorrow.

"'course!" Bella snorted, then wrapped her arms around my neck again to keep herself steady.

I gasped as I saw a vision, but it was already happening when I snapped out of it. A man in his mid twenties came up to us, and slid his hand down Bella's back. "Hey, babe," he said in a slimy voice.

Maybe it was due to her intoxication or maybe she really was incredibly scared. Bella screamed, catching the attention of half the people in the club. The guy looked shocked. Rosalie was right there next to him, glowering like she meant to kill with a glare. She shoved him away roughly, causing him to fall. "Do not touch her!" she growled.

I stared bemusedly at the gaping idiot on the floor. Realizing that Bella was shaking slightly and was almost out of it, I looked at Rose. "Maybe it's time we got out of here…Bella's got her drunk night."

She agreed with me. I leaned Bella on Rose and moved to retrieve our coats and purses. I moved swiftly out of the club and went to the car. Rose and Bella were already there. I sat with Bella in the backseat as she rested her head on my lap, snoring lightly as she slept. Rosalie drove maniacally back to the hotel.

When we had to go up, though, Bella woke with a start. She was still highly intoxicated with alcohol, so she started yelling random things at people. I clamped my hand over her mouth as we made our way inside the hotel. I knew Bella would be too embarrassed to even face the receptionist once she was sober if she acted drunk in the lobby.

Once we were in the elevator, Bella struggled against me. When I refused to let her go, she bit down on my hand. It didn't hurt me, of course, but any harder and Bella would break her teeth. I took my hand away from her mouth. She giggled uncontrollably, clutching the sides of her ribs.

When we came to our floor, Bella tore out of the elevator, screaming "Redrum!" Rosalie and I exchanged amused looks as we strolled casually out of the lift. We noticed the alarmed looks of the guests Bella passed.

We stopped, just watching her run for a little bit. Rose bit her lip and said, "Isn't our room that way?" She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

I nodded my head and grinned widely. I was incredibly glad that I had most of our night at the club videotaped. I would really be able to blackmail her sometime with the footage of her table dancing for something good…

Finally, Rose took off after Bella at human speed and took her back to the hotel room. Bella was banging on some poor human's hotel door, screaming bloody murder.

I opened the door for Rose as she carried a kicking and screaming Bella inside. Once she was in the room, she started running about, singing songs she had obviously made up. I frowned. "What are we supposed to do to calm her down?" I muttered to Rose.

She threw me a disgruntled look. "You tell me, psychic!" she retorted.

Bella searched the mini bar in the suite, but I chucked the alcohol aside. I didn't need her to get alcohol poisoning. Edward would kill me.

Finally, I shouted the only thing I could think of. "If you stay calm, we'll call Edward!"

Miraculously, Bella sashayed all the way to her bedroom and flopped down on her bed ungraciously. She bounced a little on the spot, waiting eagerly for us to call Edward for her. I suppose being drunk didn't help her retain her intelligence.

I tried getting her to get some sleep, but she kept yelling for Edward. She even started crying. I rolled my eyes, throwing my hands up in the air. Rosalie was already calling him on speed dial. "Love?" I heard Edward call out. Rosalie thrust the phone to Bella, who held it to her ear.

She sniffed a little, still crying silent tears. "E-Edward?" she whispered.

Edward panicked immediately. "Bella? Oh, God. Are you crying? What's the matter? Where's Alice and Rose? Bella, tell me, what's wrong!?"

Bella suddenly stopped crying and giggled. "Edward, Rose said I'm grown up already. We can have sex," she said smugly.

I clapped my hands over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Rosalie huffed, narrowing her eyes at Bella. "I never said that," she growled lightly, but I could see the amusement in her eyes.

Edward was silent for a moment. "Bella, love? Are you alright?" he asked hesitantly.

Bella flopped onto her back, phone still to her ear. "Yeah," she sighed. "I feel very woozy…And a boy touched my butt."

His anger was back full force. "What boy!? Why would he touch you? Where are you!? Bella, love, answer me!"

I grabbed the phone from Bella who protested. She tried to get up but she was a little too drunk to actually move much. I placed the phone to my ear and said, "Edward, it's Alice. You don't have to worry about Bella…She's fine! Or, at least, she'll be fine in the morning…Say, do you know how to calm someone who's a little hyper?"

He growled at me. "Alice, what on earth is going on? Where's Bella? What's happened to her?"

I bit my lip. Should I tell him? I shot a look at Rosalie, who was consoling a suddenly hysterical Bella. She shrugged her shoulders. I could tell she was partly amused and partly irritated by the situation. "Well, she's kind of…Inebriated at the moment," I said in a small voice.

"DRUNK!? You let my Bella get drunk!? Alice, what were you thinking?" He shouted. I heard Emmett cheering in the background about how Bella was coming out of her shell. I giggled.

Edward sighed heavily and I heard a loud '_thunk_' followed by Emmett yelling in pain. "Look, she'll be fine, Edward. This was just another human experience Rose and I wanted her to have. We were there with her the whole time. Nothing too horrible happened…"

"Too?" he asked, his voice suspicious. "What do you mean by that?"

Oh, nothing but an eternity worth of blackmail, dear brother. "Nothing. I'll have her call you tomorrow when she's sober and rested," I said quickly.

"Wait, what about this boy-"

I snapped the phone shut. That was a different conversation for a different day when Edward's calmer. Maybe when he'd hunted three mountain lions…

Bella was already snoring away on the bed.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I stared at the phone in my hand, my mouth hanging open. I couldn't believe Alice had just hung up on me!

What more, Bella had gotten drunk! Emmett was cheering, and I knew Jasper was siding with him. They had proposed the idea to Bella in the first place all those months ago.

I couldn't believe Alice and Rosalie allowed Bella to get drunk. Alice might be slightly crazy with her ways, but she had always looked out for Bella. And Rosalie! She had always thought of Bella as her own daughter. How could they both be so reckless this way?

She had been drinking alcohol. She had been _touched _by someone of the male gender who _wasn't _me!

God only knew what sort of trouble she had attracted when she was drunk. Lord only knew she attracted enough trouble when she was sober.

And to think she was only sixteen years old! How could Rosalie and Alice do this? What if something horrible happened? What if she became sick?

I snapped my phone shut angrily and swiveled around. "What if she gets poisoned?" I burst out, pacing the floor.

Jasper attempted to give me calming waves but I simply growled at him. I was in no mood for my emotions to get swayed. I couldn't even think properly.

These past five days had been nothing but pure purgatory without my Bella. I needed to see her, to hold her in my arms and to ensure that she was safe.

She had called me in a drunken state, all the way from New York City. What was I supposed to do at this moment?

I suddenly stopped pacing, remembering what I had said to Bella a few days ago over the phone. I grinned and turned to look at Emmett and Jasper. I realized that they were both looking at me warily, waiting for my next outburst.

I surprised them by smiling mischievously. "What do you think of a little trip?" I asked mysteriously.

An hour later, Emmett, Jasper and I were boarded on a plane to go to NYC. The one-stop flight wouldn't be leaving for a few hours so I had rented a private jet to bring us to NYC.

Emmett wanted to be the pilot of our private jet. Thank God it was rented. It might have given Emmett an idea on getting our own private jet…Hmm. Maybe I could take Bella flying someday.

Jasper was worried that Alice would be angry with him. _I hope she doesn't kill me. It was supposed to be an all girls trip. Man, Edward's manipulative…If only he hadn't blackmailed me with what happened that night with Emmett, Bella and Carlisle. Alice would kill me for that, too. Damn._

I laughed at his thoughts and nudged him in the ribs. "Relax. Alice would have already called if she didn't like us coming," I reminded him. Of course, if she had blocked out her visions to enjoy the trip, she wouldn't have seen us coming.

Even then, I wasn't going to change my mind. I had missed Bella too much and my brothers missed their other halves too much as well. That had made it extremely easy to convince them to come with me to NYC.

I sighed, closing my eyes to Emmett asking the stewardess if she had any vodka for my supposedly alcoholic girlfriend in New York.

We landed in New York City a few hours later, while the sun was barely even up. We hailed a cab and went straight to the hotel Bella told me they were staying at. We hadn't packed any clothes. It had been a spur of the moment decision and the only thing we had brought with us were our passports.

As we stepped out of the cab, we stared up at the traditional looking building in front of us. Emmett snorted at the name. "Ironic," he commented.

We glided towards the front entrance gracefully. A huge smile slipped onto my face. Just mere minutes until I would be reunited with my Bella.

******************************************************************************

_So this chapter wasn't all that amazing. The next chapter is funnier, in my opinion. Purely because of Emmett, what Edward would say when he sees Bella and the vacation in Barcelona._

_After that would be back to Forks High, where Bella, Edward and Alice start their junior year while the rest start their senior year. Bad guy coming in soon._

_I'm once again so sorry that it took so long. I promise I'm not disappearing again anytime soon. I'll at least let you know if I can't access a computer. The next chapter will be up early tomorrow._

_Thank you so much for reading and being patient. Please review._

_Juliet._


	43. Summertime Part 2 aka Romancing the Girl

_**A/N:**__ First of, thank you so much for your concern. I was worried I was going to have to dodge the flames you throw at me for being so late._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs: **__Bella, Edward, Alice, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Alice's POV_

It was near dawn when I decided to just give in and take a sneak peek at the future. Bella had asked me to abstain since she wanted to surprise me with a gift. I just wanted to know what it was - I was as bad as her when it came to surprises. I was so used to knowing everything that it was a sick form of torture when I couldn't rely on my visions.

Instead of a vision of a fabulous pair of boots, however, I received a vision of three very dead vampires walking towards our hotel. Alright, so maybe they were already _dead_, but you know what I meant.

I gasped, scowling as I searched when they would arrive. They were going to reach the hotel in fifteen minutes - they were already in New York. I growled, blocking out my visions once more.

"Rosalie!" I screamed, then clasped a hand over my mouth, remembering Bella who was still knocked out from last night's events. I listened to her quiet snoring and realized that I hadn't woken her up.

Rose appeared from the bathroom where she had been trying on some of her new clothes. "What?" she asked, irritated that I had interrupted her.

I stood up and started to pace anxiously. "The boys are here," I announced. Her topaz eyes widened and her mouth slipped into a frown. "They'll arrive at the hotel in fourteen minutes and thirty two seconds."

Rosalie shook her head exasperatedly. "I _thought _we'd specifically said this was an all-girls trip!" she exclaimed indignantly.

I snorted. "When have they ever listened to us?" I cocked my eyebrow and jutted my hip to the side.

"Good point."

I sighed, running a hand through my jet black hair. "It's too late to escape. Our scent is everywhere. They'd be able to follow us in a heartbeat. Not to mention the fact that sleeping beauty would only slow us down," I jerked my thumb in the direction of Bella's room.

Rosalie sighed, pouting at the door with folded arms. "So, what, are we supposed to go about just accepting them in here with open arms?" she asked glumly.

I thought about it - there wasn't a lot of time to pull off an Alice masterpiece, but there was still time for us to do _something_.

Rosalie and I dashed to the shopping bags piled on the corner of the living room of our suite. We pulled out a few things before finding the perfect outfits. Rose pulled on a red lace trim chemise. It had a ruffle trim and a black satin bow beneath the unlined cups. The thin material didn't leave much to the imagination when it came to the imagination.

I snickered. Perfect. I quickly pulled on my selection - a rose pink scoop neck slip with buttons on the front, and a cute ruffled trim. It went all the way to my thighs, innocent but teasing. I smirked. Jasper would love me in it.

We heard them approaching and smelled their scents when they reached our floor. We quickly settled ourselves in front of the TV, Rose behind me and brushing a comb through my hair as we watched a rerun of I Dream of Jeannie.

"It's definitely their room. I can smell them clearly," I heard Jasper saying.

"Is that your girlfriend snoring, Eddie?" Emmett, of course, asked Edward. He, in turn, growled. There was a knock at the door and Emmett calling out for us to open up. "Rosie, baby, come on. It's Emmett. And Jazz. And Eddiepoo. Could you open up?"

Rosalie ignored that and I smirked. "Do you think genies really exist?" Rosalie mused out loud.

I gave a little shrug. "Who knows, Rose? Maybe they do…I wonder what I'll wish for if I ever come across one…"

Rosalie pretended to ponder. "Hmm. Well, I don't know about you, but I'd probably wish for a husband who respects what I want," she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

I giggled. "I was going to wish for the latest designs by my favorite designers, but I think your wish is better, Rose," I played along.

I heard Jasper groaning. "Come on, Al. I'm sorry!" he said in a tortured voice. "Edward made me!"

I rolled my eyes. As if the twit actually forced him on a plane. "Hey!" I heard Edward yell out. "Let me in! I need to see Bella! Bella, where are you? Open the door!"

We ignored that - Bella was unconscious anyway. We heard some hushing noises, then the door knob jiggled. The door clicked open. I shared a look with Rosalie, frowning. They had picked the damn lock.

The three of them burst in, eyes wild. Edward caught Bella's scent, mixed in with all the alcohol and the smoky smell of the club, and went dashing towards the bedroom in a frenzy.

Emmett and Jasper stood in the foyer, staring open mouthed at the two of us. I would have laughed at the lustful looks on their faces if I weren't so mad at them.

Emmett recovered first. He stepped forward one or two steps, still gaping at the sight of Rosalie in something she would normally wear to seduce him. "Rosie, baby," he said again.

Rosalie ignored him and grabbed the remote. She changed the channel to MTV. Beyonce's Single Ladies music video came on. I almost squealed. The universe was on our side!

Rose jumped to her feet and pulled me along. "I love this song!" she yelled, dancing to it. I followed her lead, throwing my head back and laughing maniacally.

I felt Jasper's lust as he projected it around the room. I pushed it aside - not without difficulty, of course, but who said life was easy?

Emmett couldn't fight it off as easily, though. In one swift moment, he had dashed across the foyer, grabbed Rosalie and slammed her to the wall. Rose gasped at his sudden movement. Emmett pressed himself to Rosalie, but she slapped him. Pushing him away, she growled and came back to me. "I'm dancing, Emmett!" she snapped.

I giggled as Rose and I twirled each other around, dancing promiscuously to the music. This was turning out better than I thought.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I blocked out the sick view of my sisters in what they called clothes and dashed towards the direction of Bella's scent. No one was stupid enough to stop me.

I opened the door slightly and slipped inside. Bella was sprawled on the bed. She was already dressed in pajamas, but she still smelled like alcohol. She was snoring lightly into her pillow. I cracked a small smile at the sight, and went to sit next to her supine body.

I stroked her hair lightly, wondering what time she would be awake. I had already missed her so much. I wanted to hear her voice, see her beautiful brown eyes and kiss her lips.

As if sensing my presence, Bella scooted closer to my cold body and pressed her face to the side of my body. One of her arms came up to my waist to hug me to her. I smiled and pressed my lips to her hair.

I wondered what she was dreaming of. Her mouth was in a frown as she dreamt. I heard mumbles of 'giant bunny' now and again. I chuckled. Bella wasn't meant to be a drunk, I supposed.

I thought back to our 'conversation' a few hours ago, when she'd told me…Well, she wasn't exactly coherent at that point. When she was awake and sober again, I knew she wouldn't have liked what she'd said.

She had been overly…Active, for a lack of a better word, at the beginning of our relationship. I suspected that had something to do with how our emotions and suppressed feelings were overflowing. We had harbored feelings for each other for such a long time and they were just surfacing.

Now, though, we were taking it much slower. It was a challenge each and every time. Having her parents in the same house, however, always kept me on track. Not even Carlisle, who understood the needs of lovers, would have appreciated me 'taking' his little girl.

Bella hated it whenever Carlisle, Esme and sometimes even Rosalie treated her like a small child. When she was eight, she went through a phase where she attempted to do every thing like a grown up because she was tired of being told 'it's a grown up thing'. It didn't work out, of course, but she still hated being the youngest.

Bella was an independent woman. I was just trying to preserve my life.

It was half past ten in the morning when Bella finally stirred. She groaned, probably from the headache she was probably feeling. I chuckled, stroking her hair lightly. She lifted her head slightly and blinked blearily up at me, a perpetual frown on her lips. I wanted to kiss it away. "Edward?" she rasped.

I grinned at her. "I could kill Alice and Rose for you if you want," I offered.

She groaned again and dropped her head on the pillows, turning over so that her face was pressed into the pillow. "I might take you up on that," she mumbled into the pillow. She breathed heavily for a few moments. "What the hell happened?" she asked grumpily.

I laughed. "You got drunk, remember?"

"You're drunk," she murmured unintelligibly.

I snorted. "Hardly. You should probably wake up. It's near eleven in the morning," I informed her.

At this, Bella shot up. She moved too fast, however. "Whoa, head rush," she said, placing a hand to her mouth. Before I could say or do anything, she had shot out of the bed and stumbled towards what I assumed was the bathroom. I could hear her retching a moment later.

Emmett's laughter could be heard all the way from the living room. "Aw, the little drunk human's awake," he teased loudly.

Bella shouted a wordless cry of frustration at him before retching once more. I rolled my eyes and moved towards the bathroom. I held my breath against the smell, and held Bella's hair away from her face, patting her back gently.

When she was finally done, she crawled over to the sink and washed her mouth out, brushing furiously. I watched in amusement and worry as she slid to the floor, her back to the bathroom vanity dresser.

I crouched in front of her and brushed her hair back. "Do you want me to get you a glass of water?" I asked softly. Her throat must be sore from all that retching.

Bella still looked green as she nodded her head, her bottom lip quivering slightly. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and dashed out of the bathroom. I didn't once look in the living room as I made my way to the kitchen. My sisters were still wearing those flimsy materials and I, for one, did not intend on scarring myself further.

I retrieved a glass and filled it with water before dashing back to the only bedroom in the suite. I was just about to enter the bathroom when Alice ran up in front of me. I made a face at her outfit but she giggled, handing me something. I stared at the box. Alka Seltzer. "Trust me, she'll want it," Alice assured me before running out the door. Thank God.

I entered the bathroom to find Bella in the exact same position I left her in. She attempted a smile, but it was weak. I grinned, chuckling. She scowled at me, rubbing her temples angrily. "Not funny, Edward," she muttered.

"Yes, it is!" Emmett yelled from the living room.

Bella groaned at the volume of his voice and his booming laughter. "Stuff it, Em!" she yelled back. "You're making me wish stakes through the heart actually work!"

This didn't help suppress my amusement. I handed her the water which she sipped gratefully, and the box of Alka Seltzer in case she wanted it later on.

She looked as if she wanted to vomit a few times, but she made it through. She even took the Alka Seltzer.

Finally, she sighed, handing me back the empty glass. "I'm gonna shower," she mumbled, scrambling to her feet.

I helped steady her then lifted her by the chin to look into her slightly glazed eyes. "Are you sure?" I asked, concern clouding my brain.

Bella quirked a little smile. "Am I sure that I want to shower and smell better? Yes," she joked.

I scowled even though I was amused. "Bella," I reprimanded. "I meant are you sure you're alright."

Bella nodded her head, sighing once more. "I'll be fine. I don't think lounging around in my PJs all morning is going to make it any better," she said. She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. Then she frowned. "It might just be the hangover, but I have no idea why you're in New York right now."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'll explain later on. Hurry, will you, love? Our siblings are having a squabble and I don't care to be in the middle of it," I pleaded.

She grinned and nodded her head. Grimacing at the pain that brought to her head, she groaned and shooed me out the door.

I heard the shower running and turn to head out and get rid of the glass. I found Alice and Rosalie sitting on the floor in their outfits, playing poker with one another. They were sitting crossed-legged, giving Emmett and Jasper a view of their pale legs. My poor brothers were fidgeting on the couch, trying to get their wives to talk to them.

I grinned at the sight of them. At least Bella was talking to me, and was grateful I was here. Jasper shot me an annoyed look. _Don't be so smug, dear brother. I've yet to tell your precious Bella why you were kicked out of the store in Port Angeles…_

I scowled at him, then continued on my way to the kitchen. Not wanting to sit in the middle of the chaos that were my siblings, I went into Bella's bedroom. There was a plasma TV in her room, so I turned it on and flipped through the channels. I found a movie channel playing A Streetcar Named Desire. I laid back on the bed, propping myself up with the pillows against the headboard, my hands behind my head.

Bella came out of the bathroom in her bathrobe, and smiled at me. I tried not to think like a hormonal teenager at the sight of her dripping body clad in such a tiny material. "Feeling better?" I asked her, worried that the Alka Seltzer hadn't done its job.

She nodded her head. "Yes, much," she replied. "Thanks."

I nodded towards the door. "Alice thought of the Alka Seltzer."

"Thanks, Alice!" she yelled out, going to rummage in the shopping bags piled at one corner of the room. I heard Alice yell 'welcome'.

She took out a red babydoll dress and turned to go back into the bathroom. I heard her stumbling in the bathroom and shook my head, amused. She came back out a few minutes later. Her hair was let loose around her shoulders, partially dry. The dress came up to her knees, and accentuated her curves perfectly.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Alice?" I asked, knowing that Bella wouldn't pick a dress like that on her own. Bella sighed heavily and nodded her head.

I patted the bed next to me and smiled, gesturing for her to lie down next to me. She did so, cuddling to my side. Her head rested on my shoulder, and her hand traced circles on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, hugging her closer to me. I pressed my lips to her forehead, and breathed in the scent of her strawberry shampoo as I buried my head in her hair.

She bit her lip as she looked up at me. "Can we go out today? I want to get some things…Alice has been obsessed with shopping so far, so I couldn't…"

I laughed, knowing fully well what my sister could be like if she had shopping on her mind. Since New York was a fashion capital, it didn't surprise me that Bella barely had a word in. I nodded my head, rubbing my hand up and down her back. "Where would you like to go?" I asked, genuinely interested.

She shrugged. "Bookstore, music store…Certain places," she said vaguely.

I tensed a little as she mentioned 'book store', remembering what had happened the last time. I clenched my jaw, vowing not to leave her alone for even a second.

I nodded my head, turning the TV off and climbing off the bed. I held out my hand for her to take and she smiled, slipping her warm hand into my cold one. I pulled her off the bed and she grabbed her purse, following me out the door.

We went out the door to find our siblings still in their compromising positions. Bella raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked, her eyes raking the living room.

Emmett and Jasper looked plain angry. The throw pillows on the couch were strewn everywhere, and Rosalie and Alice were still sitting calmly in their 'sleepwear' on the floor, dealing cards.

They all begun talking at once, yelling at vampire speed. Bella groaned, shaking her head as she pressed a finger to her temple. I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile. Finally, she lifted her head, glaring at the four of them. "Hey!" she yelled.

The four of them stopped talking, looking at her in surprise. "Would you stop this nonsense and get dressed?" she raised an eyebrow at Rose and Alice. "We've gotta go get a room for the boys. I don't think all six of us could stay in one room."

Emmett frowned at her. "Why not?" he asked. "Don't you want your favorite brother to be here, addict?"

Bella scowled at him. "First of all, as of now, my favorite brother's Jasper," she quipped. Emmett stuck his tongue out at Bella, and she returned the favor oh-so-maturely. "And secondly, no, I don't want all of you here. It's giving me enough of a headache anyway. Let's go."

I placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a disapproving look. "Not so fast, love," I said, making sure to let her know that I haven't forgotten the fact that she had willingly gotten drunk last night.

I still wanted to know about the male that touched her - and his name, if possible, so I could hunt him down and tear him to shreds.

Emmett chuckled at the look on my face. Jasper smirked as he felt my anger. Bella winced, knowing me all too well. She sighed, dropping down on the couch next to Emmett. "I knew that was way too easy," she muttered, dropping her head in her hands. Emmett patted her back soothingly.

I glared down at Rose and Alice. Alice grinned impishly up at me while Rosalie looked indifferent. I folded my arms and gave her my best peeved look.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, don't give me that look," she huffed. "You know as well as I do that Ali and I would never allow anything to happen to Bella."

I scoffed, looking at her disbelievingly. "And you decided to prove that by letting her get drunk?" I asked bitingly.

Rosalie returned my angry look, match for match. "It was on her list of things to do, Edward. I thought you were on board with giving Bella as much human experience as possible," she snapped.

Bella mumbled something about 'no sex'. I had never thanked God enough for vampires' inability to blush.

Of course, everyone in the room laughed at this. Emmett winked at me, then nudged Bella. "You know, some humans have this thing where they have a little one night stand before they get tied down to their soul mate forever," he mused jokingly. "Though their idea of 'forever' is different than ours, care to have the same human experience? We could take a detour to the club…"

Bella groaned at the improper joke, and I growled at Emmett. Jasper, affected by my anger, ended up punching Emmett. He only fell off the couch, laughing hysterically.

Bella covered her ears with her hands. "Oh, my God, my ears are bleeding right about now," she moaned.

Concerned, I lowered my voice. "That's complete inappropriate, Emmett - I'm telling Esme," I warned him.

Even though he stopped laughing since he knew about the punishments Esme was most likely to give him, he still scowled at me. "Just like you to run to mommy for everything, huh, Eddie?" he teased sourly.

I ignored him. "And what's this about a boy touching you, Bella?" I asked, glaring at her now. It was of no use since she wasn't looking at me.

"I'm not looking up until you've stopped looking like someone kicked Lilly, Edward," she mumbled into her lap. "And, you know, it wasn't like I actually enjoyed that part of the night…"

I raised an eyebrow. "You enjoyed the rest of the evening, then?" I asked incredulously.

Bella lifted her head slightly and quirked a little smile at me. "If I didn't have such a bad headache, I'd do it all again," she informed me.

Jasper smirked at Bella. "Aw, our sweet little Bella - an alcoholic," he snickered. Bella threw a pillow at him, which he gracefully dodged.

I shook my head, going to sit by Bella's side. "How could you even think of getting drunk, Bella?" I asked her in a murmur, touching my lips to her hair. She still smelled so deliciously like strawberries.

She half shrugged at me. "Edward, I'm never going to be able to do that again, especially once I'm turned. From what I've heard about Emmett, vampires can't get drunk-"

Rosalie was suddenly yelling at Emmett. "You tried to get drunk!?"

She groaned again, burying her face in my shirt. I sighed, rubbing her back. Rosalie realized what she had done to Bella, and stopped yelling. Instead, she opted for ignoring Emmett altogether. "You couldn't have waited until I was present?"

Alice snorted. "If you were there, Edward, you'd never let her take a single sip," she sang out. "You not being there was sort of the point."

I shot her a glare. "That isn't true," I protested.

Bella shook her head as she looked up at me through misty eyes. She must be slightly drunk still. "Edward, it took us about half an hour to even get out of the driveway when you taught me how to drive," she reminded me. "This would have been a thousand times worse, I'd imagine."

Emmett moved at vampire speed. He kept his mind blocked so that I couldn't know what he was up to. Suddenly, he was on Bella's other side. "Goooood morning, New York!" he screamed in her ear.

Bella's eyes snapped wide open. She shrieked and fell off the couch, landing flat on her face on the floor.

Emmett burst out into raucous laughter once more. I smacked him upside the head then pulled Bella up. "Love, I think it's best if we get a move on. It's dangerous to let four immature vampires stay in the same room with us for too long," I said bitingly.

She giggled, but nodded her head, letting me lead her out of the door. "Get ready, please, and meet us in the lobby so we could work out the room issue," I called out over my shoulder.

I heard my brothers trying to get Rose and Alice to forgive them as we left them alone. I even heard Emmett trying to convince Rose to 'use' Bella's bedroom with him. I shuddered. I hoped Rosalie had a strong resolve.

Bella was still a little shaky on her legs, but I could see her getting better by the minute. I held her around the waist with one arm, never letting her go for a second. I would press my lips to her hair, her forehead and her cheeks every few seconds, having missed her too much the past five days.

Jasper had said that my attachment to Bella couldn't have been healthy if I couldn't spend five days without her.

As if he were any better with Alice.

If I knew my sisters, and I did, Rosalie and Alice would spent time getting dressed. They loved dressing up at human speed because they loved to pamper themselves.

This gave me enough time to take Bella down to the hotel café to get her some breakfast.

We stepped into the elevator of the Carlyle. Bella stepped closer to me, and pressed her front to mine. I wrapped both my arms around her as tightly as I could without breaking her bones. I buried my nose in her hair, closing my eyes as I inhaled her intoxicating scent.

The only other person in the elevator besides us stopped a few floors down. Once we were alone, I tilted Bella head by the chin to look into her beautiful eyes. She smiled shyly at me, biting her full lip.

I tugged gently, releasing her lip from being worried by her teeth. "Don't ever scare me like that again," I said. Her phone call had sent me into a whole new level of panic. If I hadn't been able to get the plane, I would have ran all the way to New York just to see her and ensure she was safe.

Bella smiled, turning her head slightly so she could kiss the palm of my hand that was cradling the side of her face. She nodded her head. "Okay," she whispered. "I am sorry I worried you, Edward," she said, her warm, lithe fingers rubbing my chest soothingly.

I wrapped both my arms around her waist once more, and lifted her off the ground slightly. I brought my head down and captured her lips with mine.

Bella gasped and I smiled into our kiss. Her reactions to our intimate moments, no matter how chaste they may be, never failed to amaze me and pleasure me.

Her hands automatically dragged up my chest, trailing over my arms and locked behind my neck. I felt her fingers burying themselves in my hair, and a shiver rippled through me. I pressed her even closer to my body, wanting to feel the warmth that always came with her touch.

I heard someone clearing their throat, but I ignored that. I'd missed out on kissing Bella, holding her and being with her for five days straight. This really couldn't wait.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice said, annoyed.

Bella and I pulled apart slowly, both of us panting. I might not need to breathe in oxygen, but her kisses always left me so desperately wanting more. I was in need of her.

I glanced around and found a crowd of people in front of the open elevator doors. Their thoughts ranged from amused, to annoyed to plain jealousy. The woman who had spoken looked about forty. She thought it was indecent the way Bella and I had embraced out in the open so intimately.

I bowed my head, all the things my mother taught me growing up in the 1900s rushing back to me. It was incredibly improper. "I'm sorry," I apologized, smiling at them all. Bella blushed bright red at having been caught kissing like that. "We didn't mean to hold up the elevator."

I took Bella's hand and gently pulled her out of the elevator. She was still blushing when we entered the café. I laughed, bringing our entwined fingers to my lips. I kissed the back of her hand tenderly. Her scowl melted into an euphoric smile. "What would you like, love?"

It was raining cats and dogs outside. Bella shivered from the cold draft that seemed to linger even in the inside of the hotel. I shrugged out of my jacket and helped Bella slip into it. I smiled at how adorable she looked like in my jacket that was a little too big for her. I tapped her nose playfully, leaning down to capture her sweet strawberry lips once.

We sat down at a window booth and Bella ordered a glass of juice and French toast. I watched her while she ate, missing even this moment during our five days apart. Bella blushed when she caught me looking. "Edward," she complained.

I smiled. I knew she felt self-conscious when others watched her while she ate. Once she finished eating, she grabbed her half empty glass of juice. I took her free hand and played with her fingers. I went to sit next to her instead of opposite her. I wanted to hold her to me once more.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and gently lifted her. She gasped in surprise as I sat her on my lap. Bella laughed turning slightly so that she could look at me sideways. I smiled widely, then bent to press my lips to her neck. I sighed against her skin, closing my eyes.

It would always amaze me how so _at home _I felt being with her.

I didn't move from my spot, I didn't stop kissing her neck, running my hands down her bare arms, burying my hand in her silky hair.

"Edward," Bella gasped, as I gently kissed her pulse point. I made a 'hmm' noise, but I didn't look up. She gave a throaty laugh. "Edward, we have to go." I tightened my hold on Bella. She stroked my cheek with gentle fingers. "The others are probably waiting for us…Come on."

I sighed, lifting my head finally. I cupped her cheek with one hand and brushed my cold lips against her warm, full ones. Her eyes fluttered as she smiled at me.

I let her hop off my lap as I paid for her breakfast. She argued over that, as well. I simply reminded her that since we shared the Cullen account, my money was hers so whatever I paid for her was like her paying for herself. She'd shot me a dirty look, saying, "Trying to confuse me won't make me forget this conversation, Edward."

She dropped the subject, though, so I was glad.

As we went to the lobby, Bella approached the desk. The manager was standing behind the desk. He looked up as we approached. I growled at his thoughts - he found Bella attractive. Why, he had to be in his thirties!

The manager smiled at Bella. "Good morning, Ms. Hale. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked pleasantly. He eyed me with envy before turning his gaze back on my beautiful Bella.

Bella smiled back at him. "Yes, there is," she replied. "Have my sisters been here this morning?"

The manager frowned slightly, and nodded his head. _Oh, dear. I've already explained to the others…I hope she won't be as upset as her sister._ "Yes, they have. I-I've already explained it to your sisters…I'm afraid we're completely booked. One family has just checked out, and it was big enough for the rest of your family. Your sister wasn't too keen on it, however…"

Bella and I exchanged looks. I realized what the manager meant a second later when he thought of the suite he'd given to Rosalie and Alice. A wide smile spread across my face.

I kissed Bella on her forehead. "Come on, love. Let's head up for a minute," I said, almost gleefully. I barely even registered the look on the manager's face as he realized Bella and I were romantically involved.

Bella was confused, to say the least, but I wouldn't tell her. I wanted her to hear it from the others - it would be more comical that way.

We took the elevator back to the Tower Suite. When the elevator doors slid open, even Bella could hear the commotion the others were having. We slowly strolled towards our squabbling siblings. They were standing outside the door of the suite, piles of bags littering the almost empty corridor. A pink suitcase I recognized as Alice's kept the door partially open.

Rosalie's voice was the loudest. "As if Esme and Carlisle would even allow it to happen-"

"What happens in New York _stays _in New York," Emmett quipped, laughter in his voice.

"That's Vegas, Emmett!" Jasper said, obviously affected by Rosalie's anger.

Alice seemed incredibly perky as we approached. She was practically jumping up and down. "Come on, Rose! I've already seen you giving in…And our suite is so beautiful!" she gushed, grinning as she leapt up slightly to kiss Jasper on the cheek.

Bella shot me a puzzled look before clearing her throat. "Hey, guys," she said cautiously as all eyes turned to her. Rosalie looked pure vicious. "What's going on?"

When no one answered, an aggravated Jasper took the initiative. "They ran out of rooms except for the Empire suite," he snapped.

Bella bit her lip. She wasn't offended by Jasper's rude tone - we had all gotten used to his foul mood whenever someone else was in a rage. "The manager mentioned that," she said carefully.

Rosalie, sensing that Bella had no idea why this was a bad thing, spoke up. "It only has two bedrooms," she clarified. When Bella still didn't look like she understood, Rosalie turned back to Alice. "How about if Bella stays with Em and I in the Empire suite, while you and Jazz stay here?" she gestured to the door of the suite Bella had been staying in.

Bella's eyes lit up as she recognized the problem. She giggled. "Rosalie, you've been worried about that? Edward and I stay in the same room practically every night anyway," she reminded her sister.

Alice was still bouncing around in excitement. "Oh, it'll be great! The suite is just perfect for the four of us!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around Jasper's middle.

Rosalie was shaking her head, but I was already thinking ahead. I scooped Bella into my arms, then carried her inside the suite. The door was partially open already. I grinned at a shocked Rosalie. "Have fun in your new suite," I called out, then slammed the door in her face.

Bella laughed, clutching to me as I carried her bridal style to the only bedroom in the suite. I gently placed her on the bed, then climbed in. I hovered over her, careful not to place my weight on her. She reached up and locked her arms behind my neck.

I smiled at her, tracing her perfect lips with a gentle finger. "So I suppose we have an entire suite to ourselves for the next two days," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Bella giggled. "I suppose we do," she replied playfully. She arched her back slightly to meet my lips in a passionate kiss. I ran my hand down the side of her body, slipping my hand underneath her shirt to place my cool hand on the overheated skin of her back. I pulled back once she started to turn blue without air.

I chuckled, placing light kisses on her neck and jaw line. "Didn't you say something about shopping today?" I murmured against her soft skin.

She shook her head slightly, humming as she ran her hands repeatedly through my thick hair. "Hmm, no. Must've mistaken me for Alice," she said incoherently.

I lifted my head from where my lips had been tickling her collarbone. I swiftly pressed my lips to hers before rolling off of her. "Come on, lets get going," I said firmly, lifting her off the bed and setting her on her feet.

She groaned, scowling at me. "Tease," she joked.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Edward, though he thought he didn't show it, was still angry about the club incident. He had demanded I told him all about my 'adventures' the night before. I could only remember certain things, of course, but he'd waved it off.

I didn't even know why he wanted me to retell whatever I could remember. He had probably seen the entire thing in Rosalie's and Alice's minds. I had enough of Emmett's teasing and Jasper's humor already.

He was outraged that I had even wanted to get drunk. He found it so upsetting he almost made a dent in the Volvo he had asked Jasper to rent while I was asleep.

I didn't see what the big deal was. I was almost seventeen, anyway. I had more or less a year to be human. Since I knew for sure that mom and dad would have never allowed me to get drunk in the first place if they were anywhere near me, last night was the best option.

Emmett and Jasper had been wrecking their brains for a way for me to get drunk without the others - especially Edward - noticing.

I had to admit, Rosalie on board wasn't something I expected in a million years. It was nice, though, for her to go from the overprotective mom to overprotective big sister. I loved it. It was still a little shaky, but we had just discovered this new aspect of our relationship. It would solidify over time.

He was ranting so much about how Rosalie and Alice had placed me in danger that I was extremely glad the car ride to the antique bookstore I wanted to go to was over. Normally, I loved car rides with Edward. Whether we talked about the silliest things or we stayed silent and listened to music, it was always so comfortable.

Now he was just making me feel guilty.

Once he had pulled over at a parking space, I placed a hand on his arm. He turned to look at me, puzzled. "Edward," I pleaded. "Please don't blame Rose and Alice, okay? I wanted to do it…It's stupid, I know, but it was my first and last time. Please don't ruin it for me?"

Edward stared at me for the longest time possible, then he sighed, hanging his head. When he looked up, he had a little half smile on his face. "Alright," he conceded. "I'm sorry, Bella. I just…I hated that you were so out of control. That some guy touched you. I want to be your only one," he admitted shyly, looking away.

I grinned. Who knew Edward was so adorable when he was shy? I cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at me. It was like forcing stone, but he understood what I wanted and allowed it. "You are my only one," I said firmly. "I love you, Edward."

My favorite crooked grin was back as he leaned in to kiss me. This kiss wasn't so gentle. He cupped the back of my head and pulled me in for a rough kiss. I was staring at him in shock, in awe of his possessiveness. "I love you, too, beautiful Bella," he whispered, nuzzling my neck.

We made it hand in hand to the bookstore. It was called Bauman Rare Books. I had checked online to see where I could get gifts for Jasper and Carlisle. I had already made an online order. Edward went to check the classic literature while I gave the cashier my name.

Something caught my eye and I moved towards it while my purchase was being prepared. It was a score of Debussy's famous works. It was signed. A huge smile broke through and I grabbed it. Edward would love it. He had already mastered Debussy's works, of course, but I reckon an autographed piece of work was a pretty good gift.

I had already gotten him a Velvet Underground box set, but there wasn't a quota on how many gifts to get a person. That, apparently, was one of the Cullen mottos everyone held onto strongly.

Edward reappeared at my sight after I had paid. He was smiling widely as he led me out of the store with his hands on my waist. We walked slowly and slightly awkwardly since he was right behind me, holding me to him. I didn't mind it, though.

I glared at him as I realized what the smile was about. "You know about the score, don't you?" I asked sourly.

He grinned wider, if that was even possible, and leaned down to kiss me. "Yes," he whispered against my lips. "You, my perfect angel, might be immune to my mind reading abilities, but that cashier wasn't…"

I scowled as I we reached the Volvo. Edward didn't let me move out of his grasp as he spun me around to face him. "Is it too much to ask for you to not snoop around so I could give you one lousy surprise?" I pouted. I remembered the box set and a smile slowly made its way to my lips.

Edward, seeing my smile and guessing what it was about, chuckled. "I saw the box set through Alice's mind - nice choice. Emmett ruined mine in '98...Haven't gotten a replacement for it, yet," he mused.

I glowered at him and made to move out of his grasp. He wouldn't have that. Instead, he pressed me against the side of the car, and moved dangerously close to me. I hated the effect he had on me - and loved it all at the same time.

My breathing started to get labored, my heartbeat quickening. Edward smiled as he heard both of it, and ducked his head to press his lips at the hollow beneath my ear. He trailed his lips excruciatingly slowly down my neck, lingering at my pulse point, up my throat, and across my jaw.

By the time he had his lips at the corner of my mouth, I was somewhere in between screaming out in frustration and hyperventilating.

He ran his hand through my hair and kept one hand firmly at my waist. "Have I thanked you for such amazing gifts?" he murmured, causing a shudder to ripple down my spine.

I looked up at him with heavy lidded eyes. Afraid to shake my head and move away from him even the slightest bit, I whispered, "No."

His mouth formed a smile as he brushed his lips against my trembling bottom lip. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll thank you properly tonight."

My knees buckled at his promise, but Edward was the one with the amazing reflexes - as he had reminded me a million times before.

His hand on my waist wrapped around my waist and pulled me even closer to him. His lips finally found mine and I moaned, embarrassingly enough. He either didn't mind much or he hadn't noticed.

I loved the lesser amount of inhibition that he seemed to possess today. Maybe it was just because we had been away for five days straight. Even Edward had his limitations.

Too soon for me, he pulled away. I realized that I needed to breathe and sucked in a huge amount of oxygen.

Edward chuckled, brushing his thumb lightly against my bottom lip. "We'll have to make a move if we want to finish your shopping and get back in time for Alice's dinner plans," he murmured, kissing me briefly once more before stepping away.

I was quivering for more, but I let him open the door for me. I slipped inside and placed the bag of purchases in the backseat. Strapping on my seatbelt, I couldn't help but smile at the thought that this amazingly beautiful Adonis was all mine.

******************************************************************************

I was going to give the others their gifts as soon as we reached the hotel after dinner. I knew Alice was still trying to 'see' her gift, but I kept deciding on giving her a membership to her favorite spa. She had no idea what I really wanted to give her.

Edward had already retrieved his gifts while I was changing for dinner. When I came out of the bathroom dressed in a blue dress Alice had told me to wear, I found him sitting on the bed, flipping through the score and listening to one of the CDs in the box set.

I placed the gifts for the others on the bed so I wouldn't have to waste time sorting through the countless shopping bags on the floor later tonight.

We met Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett in the lobby. Alice had already forgiven Jasper for coming on the trip - she was still holding out on touching him most of the time, but I knew she was only playing.

Rosalie, however, looked like she was ready to kill. She scared everyone in the vicinity. She was even scaring me.

"What's going on?" I asked, as Jazz, Alice, Edward and I walked behind Rosalie and Emmett. She was stalking off to the convertible, Emmett following her like a lost puppy. Neither one of them heard my whispered question.

Jasper chuckled, shaking his head. Edward did the same as he already heard the problem in Rosalie's mind. "He forgot tomorrow's his anniversary with Rose," Jasper explained.

I rolled my eyes. "Again?" I whispered, incredulous.

Jasper nodded his head. "Emmett's going crazy trying to figure out what he did wrong…"

I shook my head, suddenly feeling very glad for getting Rosalie the jewelry set from Tiffany's.

Alice and I had been walking by while waiting for Rose. Alice had wanted to go in to look for a new pair of earrings. I found a few pieces I wanted to give to Rose - her birthday was coming up and though vampires don't normally celebrate their human birthdays, I still wanted to give her something.

Alice had approved and mentioned something about how it would be perfect for this weekend. Getting a hit of inspiration, I smiled widely. Jasper looked at me strangely and I knew it was because he could sense my emotions. Alice squealed and Edward smiled, having seen what Alice had in her head, and bent down to kiss me. "That's incredibly sweet of you," he whispered.

I snorted. _Sweet had nothing to do with it_, I thought as I quickly whipped out my cell phone.

******************************************************************************

"Rose, baby, come on!" Emmett groaned, frustrated.

We were already at the restaurant. We had taken up a private booth somewhere near the back. Emmett was sitting next to Alice and Jasper. Opposite him, Edward sat looking completely humored. I sat next to him, and Rose sat next to me. She had placed herself as far away from Emmett as possible.

"I was thinking of asking Esme to redo my room," she said nonchalantly, examining her blood red nails on her right hand. She was completely ignoring Emmett. I stifled a giggle. "That whole bear deco doesn't do well with the lavender paint…What do you think, Alice?"

The waiter came by and glanced appreciatively at Rosalie, Alice and I. Emmett, Jasper and Edward looked murderously angry, bringing the waiter out of his little hormonal fantasy.

He had a notepad and pen in his hands, poised to take our orders. "I'll have a mushroom ravioli," I said, ordering one of my favorite pastas. The others ordered random food, too, which I found ridiculous.

Rosalie must have noticed the look on my face because she rolled her eyes. "You're not going to give that speech about how there are millions of people in the world starving, are you?" she asked impatiently.

I glared at her. "It's utterly ridiculous that you'd waste that much food!" I protested still, knowing that it was pointless. "And, yes, Rose, I'm going to give that speech because it's true and you should care just a little more."

She glowered. "It's not like it's our job to save the world, Bells."

"No, it's just our jobs to waste perfectly good food," I replied sarcastically. I usually ended up cranky whenever everyone ordered because I get so guilty, I'd try to finish off everyone's food. That would never end well since I was only one person and by the end of the meal, I would be so sick I had to be carried out.

What ever happened to good old room service?

Emmett ordered red wine, simply to tease me throughout dinner. "Want a sip, angel?" he teased, sliding his glass halfway towards me. Then he stopped, pretending to wince. "Wait, wait, that might not be healthy for our recovering alcoholic…"

I glared at him. "If it weren't completely inappropriate, I'd chuck my plate at you," I said glumly.

Edward chuckled, rubbing my bare arm soothingly. "Do you want me to punch him the moment we get to the hotel?"

I smirked. "Yes, please. And maybe tear out his arm for a bit," I said, gleeful over it. I'd watch the punching, but the tearing limbs part normally left me queasy.

Rosalie snorted. "Not if I do it first," she muttered bitterly, playing with her penne.

I shot a look at Emmett, who had gone quiet. On one hand, I was incredibly happy that he wasn't laughing at me anymore. On the other, I felt bad that he was so upset. Emmett was like my personal teddy bear. It just didn't suit him to be anything but exuberant.

We - meaning I - finished eating. I couldn't even think of dessert because I'd attempted to eat at least a few bites out of everyone's plate. This greatly amused Edward, of course, but I didn't even have the energy to be mad at him.

He ordered me tiramisu to take back to the hotel - it was just like me to be completely and disgustingly full now only to wake up at three in the morning craving for something sweet. I smiled at him, loving how well he knew me and took care of me.

Edward wrapped his arms gently around me, careful not to upset my stomach any further, and nuzzled my neck. I blushed at the feel of his cold lips against my skin.

Once again, I was reminded of his promise to me outside the bookstore. He must have known what I was thinking somehow because I felt a rumble in his chest. I wasn't quite sure what it was. I only knew that it happened sometimes when he was, well, aroused.

Jasper snorted, shooting us both death glares. "Could you lay low on the sexual outburst?" he hissed. "At least until I could get Alice in a closet somewhere…"

"Romantic," Alice snorted, but I could tell she was just playing, wanting to embarrass Jasper.

I grinned at them both. "Sorry," I shrugged, not really meaning it.

We went back to the hotel. I rode with Edward and Emmett - Rosalie had flat out refused to ride with him. He was basically sulking in the backseat. He wouldn't even play Truth or Dare with me so I knew he was taking it badly.

I didn't blame him. Although Rose and Em didn't normally show the deeper side of their love, they _were _soul mates. It hurt him that he had offended the love of his life so badly that she wouldn't even look at him, and not even know what he had done.

That, and he wanted sex.

I shuddered at the thought. Rose might have taken on the role of my older sister now instead of my mother, but I'd spent ten odd years thinking of her as my mother. It still disgusted me to think of her and Em that way.

Edward and I went back to our suite to get the gifts. We couldn't delay even though I desperately wanted to because Alice was 'dying' to know what her gift was. I had wanted to wait until we were in Barcelona, but she had threatened to throw my Jane Austen novels into the fireplace back home, so I didn't even dare.

We went up to the twenty-eighth floor. The Empire suite wasn't all that hard to find. I raised my fist to knock on the door, but it swung open before I could. I smiled at the sight of the overexcited pixie in front of me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, almost slamming the door in Edward's face as she momentarily forgot he was there. I giggled as he scowled at her apologetic expression.

I gasped at the interior of the suite. It was beautiful! It was basically a duplex, sort of like a residential apartment. It took up a part of the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth floor, being almost three thousand square feet.

Alice began jabbering about how it had two bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms - which was perfect for her and Rose since they hated to share -, walk-in closets and an office Jasper had already acquainted himself with.

Jasper practically dragged me to the office to show me the private art collection. He wanted to start having a debate on the artwork. I supposed that was what Jasper and I did together.

Alice was much too impatient, however. My arms felt sore after being dragged back and forth by various vampires. Finally, I settled myself on the recliner in the living room, facing the breathtaking view of the NYC skyline.

The others were scattered about the room, waiting for me to give them their gifts. I gave Jasper a Civil War album of sorts. It was called 'Heroic Portrait in a Bold New Form". He begun flipping through it immediately, so I knew he loved it.

I'd gotten Carlisle a complete collection of Homer's works, but I'd have to give that to him in Barcelona, just like Esme's gift.

I handed Rosalie a Bloomingdale's box. She shrieked when she saw a women's rock leather jacket. I knew she loved to look like she belonged in a music video when she drove her M3, so I knew she loved the jacket. That, and she lunged at me, hugging me tightly.

I held Alice's gift ransom. She pouted at me, trying her best to dazzle me. Edward held her gift near the fireplace, ready to throw it in if she refused.

"Hand over the footage, Alice," I said in a sing-song voice. "Every single copy of it, too." She looked torn between giving in and holding out. Deciding to rub it in a little, I said, "Give it up or a certain Ralph Lauren satin trench will get it…"

Alice gasped, her eyes flicking to the box Edward held in his hands. He was merely doing this because firstly, he loved me and I would be very angry with him if he didn't. Secondly, he had no intention of my one drunken night ever coming up again for the rest of eternity.

She gaped at me. "You…You bought it!?" she shrieked. "How did I not see this!?"

I shrugged. "Emmett taught me how to stay undecided," I said, grinning. Emmett punched his fist in the air, grinning wildly as he watched this interaction.

Finally, as I knew she would, Alice gave in. She threw me the camera, scowling darkly at me. Edward was too fast for her and had dodged when she'd tried to yank the box out of his hands. "Only copy," she muttered.

Edward nodded his head when I looked at him. "She's not lying," he assured me. I gave him the green light and he tossed the box at Alice. She caught it and immediately took out the trench. She squealed excitedly, running her hands over the material before slipping it on.

Seeing my next move, she grabbed Rosalie's hand. "Come on, Rose. Let's go down to the car…I forgot about the shopping bags in the trunk, and I know the perfect outfit to go with this," she gestured to her coat.

Rosalie looked at her strangely. "Why don't you just ask someone else to bring them up?" she asked, stating the obvious.

Alice scoffed, doing a good job at her lie. "I don't trust them with my shopping treasures!" she said indignantly.

Rosalie shrugged and stood, walking arm in arm with Alice towards the door. Alice turned her head slightly to wink at me. I grinned my gratitude in return.

When they were out the door, I turned to grin at Emmett. He did a double take at the look on my face and grimaced. He recognized the look on my face - he'd worn it plenty of times right before blackmailing someone.

What could I say? I learnt from the best.

"Emmett," I said with mock seriousness.

"Bella," he said with caution.

I was going to give him his gift with grace, but I had a better idea. His little snide remarks during dinner had made my decision for me. "I know why Rose is mad at you," I told him, my smile innocent yet mischievous.

His eyes lit up before he remembered that I was looking like the cat ate the canary. "And I have the perfect solution to solve your problem."

He eyed me warily. "What do you want?"

"Complete immunity from your endless teasing about my 'drunk problem' for eternity," I replied just as swiftly. His mouth dropped open, and he started shaking his head. I shrugged. "It's either Rose or your stupid jokes, Emmett. Which is more important - and don't think that your answer won't get back to Rosalie," I warned him.

Finally, he sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "Fine," he said bitterly. His topaz eyes held hope, though.

I took out the last bag and handed it to him. He looked at me in complete surprise. "You got me jewelry?" he asked incredulously.

I laughed, shaking my head. "It's not for you, per se, Emmett. It's for Rose," I clarified. He looked baffled by this, and I explained. "Don't you know what tomorrow is, Em? Your anniversary?"

A sudden look of horror crossed his features. "Aw, hell!" he shouted. "Man, I can't believe I forgot!"

"Again!" Edward, Jasper and I finished for him, roaring in laughter.

He scowled at us as he begun rooting around in the bag.

I had gotten Rose a Tiffany Legacy Four square drop earrings. They were Edwardian style, platinum with diamonds. The drop necklace was a beautiful Tiffany Swing T-drop. It had one round brilliant diamond leading to another, a total of eighteen inches long. The bracelet was an 18k white gold bracelet with diamonds. I'd also gotten her a Jean Schlumberger Sixteen Stone ring, with an 'x' in the middle of sapphires and round diamonds in platinum.

In truth, they were all Rosalie's style. Ten years being around her, no matter how little I was a decade ago, had gotten me very acquainted with Rosalie's sense of style.

Emmett placed the jewelry aside carefully before launching himself at me. "The no teasing thing is totally worth it now," he said happily.

I chuckled, then waved at the bag once more. "There's more. I set up a private 'picnic' for you and Rose at Gramercy Park. It's private and romantic, so it's great for your anniversary," I told him. Getting them a few hours at the all exclusive and private Gramercy was hard, but being a part of the Cullen family definitely helped. "Just tell them your name, and you're in."

Emmett looked puzzled. "Doesn't jewelry cut it?" he asked me naively.

I rolled my eyes. "Rose loves to be romanced, Emmett!" I chided, slapping him on the arm.

"She does?"

Jasper snickered, shaking his head. "All women do," he informed Emmett, patting the big bear on the back.

Emmett grinned at me. "Thanks, kid," he kissed me on the cheek, grabbed the jewelry and dashed off to find Rose.

I turned to look at Edward and smiled up at him. "I believe you have a promise to live up to," I said, more confidently than I actually felt.

Edward grinned broadly at me. He scooped me up gracefully and ran out the door, leaving Jasper who was making gagging noises behind. I laughed as he ran to our room, taking the stairs because he was too impatient to wait for the elevator.

He set me on my feet once we were in our suite.

Edward pressed me against the door to our suite, pressing gentle kisses to my lips. "Now, what was it that you wanted to do?" he asked, his velvet voice teasing.

I thought about it, then gave him a sly smile. "I want to hear you play the piano," I said decidedly.

Edward laughed, shaking his head. "Never what I expect," he murmured, skimming my jaw with his nose. He pulled back, and tugged on my hand, leading me towards the baby grand piano. He sat me down next to him on the bench, his white hands coming up to rest on the ivory keys.

I closed my eyes and smiled, resting my head on his cold shoulder as I listened to the beautiful melody of his songs. Only Edward could play so beautifully. Every single note of his song, which I recognized as being new, tugged at the strings of my heart.

I opened my eyes as the haunting song came to an end. I glanced up at him through blurry eyes, noting with horror that I was tearing up.

Edward smiled, encasing me in his arms as he pressed his lips to the corners of my eyes, literally kissing away my tears. "Did you like that one?" he whispered. I nodded my head, too awed to speak. "I wrote it for you…I've come to a startling realization, Bella. It would kill me to be away from you. Promise me you will never leave me," he said, his musical voice pained suddenly.

I stared at him in shock. I placed my arms around his neck, and rested my forehead against his as his head leaned down to meet mine. "Edward," I whispered, gently stroking his cheek with one hand and entwining my fingers in his hair with the other. "How could you even think that I'd leave you?"

He looked down, not meeting my gaze. "I keep thinking of when you're changed," he said softly. "I keep thinking what if you hate it. What if you hate me for not fighting harder for your mortality? What if you wouldn't want to spend eternity with me? It'd break my heart, Bella, to see you walk away from me…I don't think I could live through it. Don't get me wrong, I would never force you to stay with me but-"

I placed my hand over his cool lips. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was plain ludicrous to think that I would want anything other than an eternity with him.

I removed my hand once I was sure he wouldn't start ranting again. I looked him straight in the eye as I spoke. "Edward, don't you know that it would kill me not to be with you? I, for one, am thankful that Aro made his visit and forced a deal. If he hadn't, I would have spent these past few years trying to convince you I needed to be changed. I don't want a normal life, Edward. I don't want mortality or an eternity with anyone else. I just want _you_," I kissed him, tasting the icy sweet breath.

I pulled away to continue my 'speech'. "I need you," his scent was so uniquely _him_…Was it possible for such a beautiful creature to exist? "I love you very much, and nothing can change that," I told him firmly.

His smile was so dazzling, it took my breath away. I felt a silly grin making its way onto my lips. Before I could even blink, Edward had lifted me off the bench. He was carrying me. I wrapped my legs around his waist to support me.

"You," he said, his usually smooth voice coming out haggard as we stared into each other's eyes. God, he was so…I couldn't even find words. I loved him, and I loved the unspoken connection we had with each other. I loved just being with him. "Are too good for me," he finished, kissing the tip of my nose affectionately.

I giggled, laughing harder as he gently laid me down on the bed, still attached to me due to my legs. His wicked grin grew as he leaned down. I stopped laughing, stopped smiling, stopped breathing altogether as his sweet breath caressed my face. My eyes glazed over as I stared into his topaz eyes.

One of his hands gripped my right hand. He stared at the true love ring on my third finger, then kissed it lovingly. He had asked me about it when I had woken up in his arms the morning after I had went to my old house. I didn't think I had ever seen Edward look so happy, not counting our confession to each other, of course. "I love you, Bella," he whispered, his lips moving against mine as he spoke.

All thoughts flew out the window as our lips met with even greater force. I brought him as close to me as I possibly could, wanting to savor the moment as much as possible before his boundaries decided to make an appearance.

If this was how eternity was going to be, I was without a doubt that I was going to love it.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

"Emmett, where are we going!?" I asked for the umpteenth time. He had kidnapped me from the front of the hotel where I was with Alice, jumped in our rented car and drove us to God knows where with Alice waving cheerfully from the steps of the hotel.

He had refused to tell me anything, which only aggravated me. I was still angry with him for not remembering our anniversary. Honestly, how could a vampire forget anything? And every year, too! The date was a constant, and yet he couldn't commit to it?

He kept telling me, the year before, that he forgot because we had so many weddings. This was different, though. This was the anniversary of our first wedding. I, the Rosalie Hale, had gotten emotional at just the thought of our first wedding and here he was not even knowing what today was.

We pulled up in front of Gramercy. I looked at Emmett strangely. I watched him give his name, and let him lead me into the Gramercy Park. My eyes widened. I knew this was a private park, so it must have taken him effort to pull this off.

It was nearing twilight, so the sun hasn't quite set yet. I walked hand in hand with Emmett as I watched the diamond sparkles on our skin. The benefit of a completely secluded park was that no one was there to witness the traits of our freakish existence.

He pulled me to sit on a bench. I looked around the spectacular surrounding before setting my eyes on my big bear of a lover. He had a smile on his face that showed the dimples on his flawless skin.

I raised a hand and gently stroked his cheek. He sighed into my touch. His golden eyes darkened slightly, and I smiled to myself. "I love you, Rose," he whispered, leaning closer to me to kiss me.

I threw myself into the kiss, loving the sweetness of the moment. When we pulled back, Emmett was smiling widely. "Rosie…" he said, his smile slipping and a frown taking its place.

I made a face at his frown - I didn't like seeing him upset, especially when he actually remembered. "What's wrong, Emmett?" I asked gently.

He took both my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. "You know I love you, right?" he asked worriedly. I nodded my head, confused.

He shook his head, "I mean, I love you in a crazy, totally obsessive, can't-live-without-you sort of way, Rose. I'm sorry about not being the most romantic guy or anything. I'm sorry I sometimes forget special days. I just love being with you, Rose. You're my eternity. I never want to upset you or anything…"

I smiled, kissing him again. "It's okay, Emmett," I assured him. "I know. I love you, too, you silly goof. I-I just love celebrating certain things with you, like our anniversary, because it's about you and me. I can't get enough of you, Em," I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

Emmett chuckled. "You know it, babe," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

The sun set, darkness rolling over us. I watched the last of the sparkles fading away as sunlight disappeared.

Emmett suddenly pulled me to my feet. I shrieked in surprise, then laughed as he twirled me around. "Dance with me, Rose!" he yelled happily, his arms on my waist. I couldn't stop laughing as I arched into him, my arms spread out wide as the wind blew on my face and through my hair.

I didn't know how long we stayed there, twirling and dancing and singing off key to the cheesiest love songs, but I knew that I hadn't felt this happy in such a long time.

Emmett was more than just my mate. He was my soul mate, my lover, my best friend - my savior. I could remember the dark cloud of depression I felt all those years without Emmett.

Just one glance at Emmett, lying on the ground as he was attacked by a bear, started my healing process.

There was a time when I couldn't even think of being with a man, so broken after Royce had violated me.

Then there was Emmett, so beautiful, so loving, so tender though he came off as the silly clown to everyone else…I knew his golden heart, I knew his warmth underneath cold, hard skin.

I was so amazingly blessed to have him with me, to have him love me.

We hadn't had enough time just talking and walking and even lying down in peace. It felt surreal, like those first days when we had gotten together. I'd forgotten how it felt like to be romanced. My relationship with Emmett, while it ran deeper on a more subconscious level, was physical most of the time.

I didn't have any complains. God only knew I enjoyed it as much as, if not more than, Emmett. I still found myself enjoying the romance, though. I couldn't help it. I was a woman, after all.

Emmett finally took me back to the car so we could get back to the hotel. Alice and Jasper weren't in the suite when we returned. The place, however, was glowing. I realized that it was because there were candles everywhere, lighting the place in a soft glow.

I turned to look at Emmett, my eyes tearing up with venom that wouldn't fall. "Emmett," I whispered, touched by his romantic gestures.

He scooped me into his arms, making me gasp in surprise, then ran up the stairs. _Okay, that's more like Emmett_, I thought to myself as I giggled.

He set me down at the entrance of our room. The floor and the bed were littered with rose petals. Vanilla candles were everywhere, as well. I inhaled the sweet scent and smiled up at my gorgeous husband.

He sat me down at the edge of the bed then rushed off to get something. He was back in front of me within moments. He sat next to me and handed me a blue box. I recognized it as Tiffany's. I opened the box and gasped as the jewelry I saw inside. They were all so perfect…

I closed the box and set it aside carefully, not wanting to destroy them when I get to the more primal part of the evening. "Emmett," I said in mock severity, looking him straight in the eye. "You rock."

His booming laughter filled the room before he flipped me over and kissed me as if our lives depended on it.

******************************************************************************

I smiled contentedly as Emmett, Jasper and Edward heaved our suitcases into the trunks of our rented cars. Alice had decided that it was silly to carry plastic bags on our flights to Barcelona and had bought us all extra suitcases to pile our new things in.

Bella, of course, had protested, saying that we each had about thirty suitcases back home and we really didn't need to waste our money when others in the world suffered and had to pick food from the garbage to last them a week.

I swear, the girl could be a spokesperson for Peace Corps.

I sighed, my sunglasses basically an accessory since the sun was hidden behind the thick clouds. Alice had said that today was the last completely cloudy day in New York, so it was just as well that we were heading to Barcelona.

I couldn't wait to get to our own little private beach paradise. I had missed Esme and Carlisle. I missed being in the sun. I knew it was strange since I couldn't tan and all, but the warmth was lovely. Summer was practically the only time we had to fully bask in the sun.

Knowing Esme, this holiday home was going to be amazing! I couldn't wait to see it! Alice must have already seen it because she had been much too excited since I'd seen her this morning.

Either that or Jasper had given her one hell of a time due to the emotions he felt coming from Emmett and I. It's a win-win, anyway.

I saw Bella coming towards us from the other end of the lobby. I took one last look at Emmett as he playfully reached for Jasper and kept him in a headlock. I jogged up the steps and through the hotel doors.

We had already checked out and I had to say, I'd miss it. I would even miss the slightly eccentric night manager who seemed to have an eye out for me. Not that I could blame him.

I reached Bella and Alice. Alice winked at me and I grinned back, both of us knowing the extent of my activities the previous night. Emmett and I hadn't exactly been quiet, even after Jasper and Alice had returned from wherever the hell they had been some time before dawn.

I hugged Bella tightly, carefully avoiding the croissant she was holding in her hand. She laughed, patting my back with her free hand. "What's up, Rose?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.

I smirked. "You think I don't know Emmett had help?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest. "I've known the guy decades before you, Bells. He could be a softie at heart, but romance like that never came easy for him."

Bella blushed and looked down. I tilted her head up by the chin. Giving her my sincerest smile, I said, "Thank you. I loved my gift."

I squeezed between Alice and Bella, and hooked an arm around both their arms. When we reached the hotel doors, Bella snuck a look at me. "Does this mean you'll let me drive the M3-?"

"Not a chance in hell."

______________________________________________________________________________

_I just never read a lot about Rosalie and Emmett being all romantic with each other. I know their love is mostly physical, but they are soul mates, so it would make sense that this sort of mushy stuff happens, too, right?_

_I'm not going to add in the Barcelona part of the vacation because that's just more fluff. Plenty of that to come, but I want to start with the plot now._

_Alright, to clear up some issues._

_Bella Hale has only a few chapters left to it. I would be doing a sequel after that mainly because I have an interesting idea (to me, of course, I haven't pitched it to anyone) and I wanted to see how it goes._

_I will be continuing Adventures of Bella Hale even after BH is complete because I love little Bella, and there are too many side stories that never had the chance to be told. I miss the interaction of little Bella with the Cullens - those defined the relationship she has with them now._

_As for my other stories, I __will __be updating them - but only once Bella Hale is complete. I have every single one of them finally outlined until the end, but it would be ridiculous to try and write different stories at the same time. No time, less effort, crappy work. I love that I'm getting so many reviews for them, and that so many of you are asking me to update. I will, as soon as BH is over. I will be taking a break before writing the sequel to finish writing at least one or two of the other stories._

_The fluff in BH is great and all, but I miss plot. Next chapter we will have the Cullens back in Forks. I can't jump straight to the bad guy plot because I just love details, but it's a starter. After that I will definitely introduce the bad guy._

_If you have any further questions, feel free to PM me._

_Juliet._


	44. Jobs and Strangers

_**A/N: **__Alright, just to avoid confusion. Bella, Alice and Edward are now in junior year. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper are now seniors. It's been about three/four months since they've started school once more._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all_

_**POVs: **__Bella, Edward, Jasper_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I glanced nervously to my right where Edward was sitting as rigid as a statue. I rolled my eyes and lightly brushed my hand over his. "Relax, Edward, it's not going to be so bad," I whispered.

Emmett leaned towards us from the backseat. "Yes, it is," he mock whispered. I glared at him, making him grin. "Tell me again why I have to ride in the backseat?" he asked in a normal tone.

I shrugged. "Because you're lousy at comforting Edward," I answered promptly. "You keep cracking inappropriate jokes and giving him stupid mental images of what you think will happen."

Emmett chuckled, shaking his head. Reaching out with one big hand that resembled a bear paw, he ruffled my hair. "Silly human," he laughed. "I do that just as well in the backseat."

I snorted and fixed my hair. Unclasping my seatbelt, I turned to go out the door. "Edward, I'm already seventeen years old. You don't have to get so wired about my first day on the job," I told him sternly.

Of course, being Edward, he didn't listen. He grabbed me by the upper arms and held me firmly. "How about if I pay you?" he pleaded. "Twice as much as you're going to make _here_," he said in a disgusted tone, shooting a glare at the building in front of us that read 'Newton's Outfitters'.

I rolled my eyes once more at him, and made to shrug him off. It did nothing. "Edward," I grumbled. "It's a damn human experience, okay? Teenagers get jobs all the time."

"I'll bet Carlisle would hire you…He already offered you a job at the hospital," Edward pointed out, his eyes begging me.

I sighed. "As if I didn't know you bribed him to hire me, Edward," I muttered, reaching out to pry his fingers off me. When he didn't budge, I glanced at Emmett. "A little help?"

Emmett chuckled and shoved Edward away from me with three fingers. Stupid show off vampire.

Edward glared at him then turned to me, defiant. "How could you jump to that conclusion, Bella?" he asked, pretending to be hurt by my 'accusation'.

I shot him a stern look. "Because candy stripers are not meant to be paid," I informed him. I reached forward and ran my hand through his soft, thick hair. I loved the feel of it under my fingers.

Edward caught me around the waist, then pressed his lips to mine. I gasped at the intensity of his kiss, his lips moving so wonderfully against mine. He wouldn't even let go when I made to pull away to breathe.

Emmett cleared his throat. When Edward finally released me, Emmett looked disgusted. "Ugh. I never needed to see my baby sister doing _that_," he shuddered.

Right. Because I really needed to see him and Rose doing much worse all the time.

I was much too speechless to retort, though, so I merely stared at Edward, eyes wide. He gave me his famous crooked smile, and I very nearly combusted. "So what do you say we head home?" he asked, his velvet voice washing over me, sending shivers down my spine.

I blinked, then scowled at the innocent look on his face. "Dazzle-free zone!" I yelled, then got out of the car. Being me, I stumbled, but steadied myself with one hand on the car door before stalking off.

I knew it was strange to want a job, especially one as trivial as a salesgirl in Newton's Outfitters, but I couldn't help myself. It was on my list of things to do, and Mike said that his parents were looking for help at the store. What better place?

Alice and Rose thought I had gone crazy - they couldn't understand why I didn't just use a credit card. Edward pleaded and dazzled for days. Emmett and Jasper thought it was hilarious.

I wasn't going to get out of this, though. This was one human experience I intended to have. Once I was turned, the novelty would be gone. As a vampire, I could work anywhere I wanted as anything I wanted - just dazzle, say the name 'Cullen' and poof!

The whole insignificant job, getting minimal wage, job-after-school thing was really a human thing to do - I was actually a little excited about this.

I stopped at the door to the store and turned around. The Volvo was still there. Edward was staring at me like a hawk. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it when he looked at me, but this was just getting ridiculous.

I glared at him, placing both hands on my hips. "Hunt!" I demanded, putting on my best Rosalie Hale's 'I'm-not-happy-with-you' frown.

Edward hung his head, then revved up the engine. I smiled a little to myself, pleased that I had perfected Rosalie's frown. I turned back to the store, took a deep breath and entered.

Mike was right next to me the moment I did. I noticed that his eyes looked past my shoulders for a second. He looked anxious for some reason. "Hey, Bella," he greeted me. "Did you come alone?"

And there was the reason why. He thought I had brought someone else along. Of course, Edward and Emmett were just with me - but they had just wanted to drop me off before going hunting.

I shook my head, smiling at Mike. "It's just me," I assured him.

This seemed to make Mike a lot happier than I would have liked. He took me by the hand and led me to the counter. I gently shook him off, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. Mike gave me a frown, but didn't comment on the awkward moment.

He showed me how to use the register, where all the items were, what to say to the customer… He would be helping me the first day, and told me to come to him if I needed anything else. I thought it was nice of him.

My first customer turned out to be someone from out of town. He wanted to go hiking. I helped him pick out a pair of hiking boots and a tent. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

The day passed by slowly. There weren't all that much customers that came to Newton's. Most were mainly from out of town. I didn't think people like Jessica and Lauren went hiking very often.

I stood behind the counter, flipping through Mojo and pretending I was listening to Mike. He was a nice kid, he just never stopped talking. It was getting awkward when I had to refuse him each and every time he asked me out.

I heard the bell tinkling and looked up. I made a face. "Jasper?" I asked, incredulous. Mike stiffened slightly, but he relaxed. It was probably because it wasn't Edward. Those two hated each other.

Jasper grinned at me, his 'lazy smile', as Alice called it, in full work. "Hey, angel," he called out. I heard a tiny bit of his Southern accent.

I smiled at my big brother as he came up to the counter and leaned his weight on his arms on top of the counter. "How's work so far?" he asked, his tone mockingly serious.

I rolled my eyes at him, and whacked his shoulder with my magazine. "Slow," I answered truthfully. "Now what are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Alice wanted to go camping soon," he said nonchalantly. I smirked. "She sent me to get new tents."

I left my magazine on the counter and tilted my head to the side. "I'll go get 'em," I said. Jasper followed me at a stroll.

Once we were out of earshot, I shot him a look. "Okay, seriously, what the hell are you doing here?" I asked, grabbing for two tents.

Jasper placed a hand over his heart. "Are you telling me you don't even want to see your dear old brother?" he asked, feigning hurt. "Ouch, sis. That really stings."

I huffed, one hand on my hip. "Emmett sent you, didn't he?"

Jasper laughed, taking out a camera and snapping a picture of me. "Yes," he answered, looking at the picture he'd taken of me with a satisfied look on his face. Then he put it in his pocket and looked back up at me, "And no."

I stared at him, confused. "Well, which is it?" I asked, irritated.

He chuckled. "Still got your kitty temper up, I see," he joked. I threw a tent at him, and he caught it effortlessly. "Edward asked me to come by," he admitted sheepishly.

I gave a little cry of anger, the tent I was holding dropping to the floor. Jasper caught it before it hit the ground. "Why would he do something like that?" I asked in a whisper-yell.

Jasper jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the direction of the front of the store. "Maybe because perv Newton's around," he snickered.

I glared at him, snatching the two tents from him and storming to the front. I caught Mike sneaking a look at my magazine with a puzzled look. When I came up to the counter, he shot away from the magazine like it was the plague. I smiled at him, curious as to why he didn't just ask me to read the magazine if he wanted to.

Jasper paid for the tents he would never use, but stayed around. I crossed my arms across my chest, but he just shrugged, sitting on the stool meant for me to use if there was a lack of customers and I was tired of standing.

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration, but my dear brother just sent me a wave of calm. "I'm tired - you don't mind if I rest my legs for a lil' bit, do you, angel?" he asked, using that stupid Southern drawl of his.

Every time he used that Southern accent, I was reminded of my childhood and of the connection as brother and sister that we shared. And every time, I would end up giving in to whatever he wanted.

He knew it, too, and used it to his advantage. I shot him a glare and went back to flipping through my magazine furiously. I almost ripped the pages.

The one thing that I actually loved about having my big brother around during my first day of work was that Mike seemed to be less enthusiastic. When I first walked in, he had seemed so eager it made me feel guilty for not returning his affection.

Not to mention the fact that my big brother was glaring at him so he didn't dare ask me out for the hundredth time today.

A few more customers came and went. Mike let me tend to them and helped me along the way. I thought the job was pretty easy. I had no idea why Mike felt the need to help me all the time.

Soon, my shift ended. Mike waved me a glum goodbye that turned into a look of incredulity and anger as Edward's silver Volvo appeared in front of the store. Jasper, who had stayed behind the entire shift, stood up from the stool and stretched.

I rolled at the action - as if he needed to stretch!

He gave me a grin, leaning against the door as he waited for me. I glowered, "Don't forget your tents, Jazz. Wouldn't want you to have to come back anytime soon for your camping trip."

He chuckled, and took the bag from the floor. I waved him to wait out in the car. "I'll be right out. I just have to clock out," I told him.

Jasper shot Mike a wary look but headed out anyway. I supposed he thought Mike couldn't try anything with three vampires standing right outside the store.

I took off my name tag and went over to the automatic machine on the wall. Mike followed me. I was pretty sure he had to stay behind to help his parents a little while longer. I felt bad for him to have to stay behind.

I realized that Mike was saying something and tuned in. "It's just, you know, Jess' party would be kinda boring and all, so I totally understand if you don't want to go. But I was thinking, if you want…Maybe you could go with me?"

I clocked out then turned to face Mike, confused. "Like a date?" I asked, bewildered. Mike bit his lip, looking nervous. I shifted my weight from one foot to another awkwardly. "Mike," I said slowly. "You do know I'm dating Edward, right?"

Oh, how wrong that felt. 'Dating' didn't even cover what Edward's and my relationship was. He wasn't just a mere commonplace boyfriend. He was my soul mate, my everything.

I didn't think Mike needed to hear my sappy definition of my relationship with Edward, though, so I kept it at that.

Mike scowled, trying vainly to hide his irritation. "Well, it doesn't _have _to be a date-" he started to say, but I cut him off.

"I'll ask Edward if he wants to go," I said quickly, moving past Mike to the front of the store. I tripped over my own feet, naturally, but I managed to catch myself using the aisle. "Bye, Mike! See you tomorrow!" I called out.

When I stepped out of the store, Edward was leaning against his Volvo. I saw Emmett and Jasper playing Rocks, Scissors, Paper in the backseat of the car. I rolled my eyes, smiling fondly at the sight of them.

I walked up to Edward, who had a deadly look on his face. I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning into his body. He blinked down at me, and gave me half the crooked smile I was so used to. I reached up on my toes and brushed my lips against his lightly. "What's wrong?" I murmured.

Edward shook his head, his arms wrapping possessively around my waist. I shivered at his touch, resting my head on his shoulder at an angle so that I could keep looking at his beautiful face. "He has the gall to ask to court you when I'm the one you're with?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Sometimes it's very hard to keep myself from fantasizing different ways to torture and kill Newton."

I giggled. "What's the latest one?"

"Mostly castration."

I laughed, trailing my hands up his perfect lean body to tangle my fingers in his hair. Edward smiled at me, almost blinding me with his white teeth. I could feel my heart beginning to race as he leaned down towards me, his lips molding with mine.

I heard a tapping noise and we pulled away. Emmett was knocking on the window of the backseat, grinning at us. "You guys ready to go or would you like to put on a show for everyone?" he teased, guffawing through his words.

I peeked over my shoulder to see a few people walking past the stores staring at us. Even Mike was standing behind the clear glass windows of Newton's Outfitters, staring openmouthed at our PDA.

I blushed, and made to extract myself from Edward's embrace. He merely chuckled and held me tighter. "Edward," I warned meekly, blushing brighter. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine briefly before letting me go.

I stumbled my way to the passenger side. Edward was right there with me, opening my car door for me. I squeezed his hand I was holding once, smiling at him, and stepped inside the Volvo.

Edward closed the door and moved at human speed to the driver's side. As he started the engine, Emmett leaned forward from the backseat, stretching his long arm over the console to fiddle with the radio dial.

Edward smacked his hand away, glaring at him. Emmett pouted, making me giggle. "C'mon, Eddie!" he complained. "You never let me play!"

I snorted. "Now you just sound like Lauren and Jessica," I informed Emmett.

Emmett and Jasper burst out laughing with me, at the expanse of Edward. We all knew how Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory harbored crushes on Edward, even if they didn't come outright and said it.

Edward shot us all death glares as he peeled out of the parking space. "If you're done now," he said bitingly.

I bit my lip to hide my smile, and rubbed his arm soothingly. "Sorry," I whispered, trying to keep the humor from showing in my voice.

I didn't think I did a very good job because Edward still looked angry. He'd had to avoid Jessica and Lauren most of last year, and this year hadn't bided very well, either. Jessica had greeted him on the first day of school with an attempted hug. Edward had thrown himself at me, hugging me tightly and making me a shield to 'protect' himself.

I'd found it hilarious.

Edward had pretended to be mad at me until I persuaded him otherwise right outside Biology. To put it mildly, I didn't think Mr. Banner had ever turned that shade of purple before. I was afraid he'd stopped breathing for a moment.

Jasper, sensing Edward's annoyance at the three of us, rolled his eyes and cross his arms. "God, Edward, you're so _sensitive_," he joked.

Edward merely snarled. I sniggered. Sometimes it was just really fun to have vampires for a family.

Esme was waiting anxiously when we reached home. The moment I stepped through the door, she engulfed me in a huge motherly hug. "How was your first day of work, dear?" she asked with a loving smile.

I returned her smile, smoothing her caramel hair from her face. "It was fine. Jazz felt the need to sit around for hours doing nothing but scare Mike with vampire glares, but it was funny to watch," I tattled.

Esme glared at Jasper. "Jasper Whitlock Hale! You told me you were going to the library!" she gasped, aghast that her own son would lie to her.

Jasper gave Esme an apologetic look, then glared at me when he thought she wasn't looking. "Don't you glare at your sister! Apologize! Ooh, wait 'til I tell your father…"

Alice pulled me into the kitchen to talk about another trip to the mall - she wanted me to cut my hair a little shorter and style it. I wasn't too keen on that. Esme had fixed me a turkey sandwich, so I sat in front of the TV, opening my bottle of Snapple as I half listened to her talk and half watched reruns of Friends.

Suddenly she gasped then smiled brightly. "Guys, I found a new hunting ground," she called out to the others. "Somewhere in Canada…I've been searching for a new spot all day!"

Emmett was clearly excited - he always was whenever it came to new hunting ground. He didn't want to hunt the same game every single time though he certainly never grew bored of it.

According to Alice, Wednesday through Friday would be sunny, so the Cullens made plans to head over to Canada. Edward wanted to stay behind.

I glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "You don't want to go hunting at a new spot?" I asked, puzzled. "Edward, Alice said it was going to be filled with mountain lions!"

I knew he would normally jump at a chance like this, so I was confused as to why he would suddenly decide to stay home.

Edward didn't answer me, but continue to stare at the TV screen. He shifted uncomfortably, as if wanting to get away from my piercing stare.

I frowned at him, trying to understand. If he stayed home, he would have to stay home all day unless he went hunting nearby. Why would he hunt at the same spot when Alice had found all new ground? He loved new game as much as Emmett.

Unless he wanted to stay because of me. That would seem like something he would do. Just because everyone was going, he was afraid something might happen…

I rolled my eyes and tried to get his attention. "Edward," I called out in a disapproving tone. He didn't look at me. I threw a handful of M&Ms at him, and he didn't even flinch. Sighing, I got off the couch and sat on his lap.

He looked up at me with startled eyes. I grinned slightly, brushing his cool cheek with my fingertips. "Would you go?" I pleaded. Edward shook his head, his mouth forming a thin line. "Please, Edward? It would make me feel extremely guilty if you were to stay behind…I know you love those mountain lions!"

I saw the corners of his mouth twitch, as if he wanted to smile. It stopped before I could see for sure. "Bella, I'm not leaving you here alone," he said firmly, as if that would determine what would happen.

I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck, tilting my head to the side. "Just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me," I told him in a teasing voice.

Edward rolled his eyes, the hint of a smile on his lips. He hugged me closer to him, burying his face in my hair. "I don't think leaving you alone for three days is such a good idea," he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

I ran my fingers through his hair, one arm remained wrapped around his neck in an attempt to steady myself and not fall off his lap. "I won't be alone," I gasped. "I've got school. And work. I'll be home for the shortest amount of time…Nothing could happen."

Edward turned his head slightly and pressed his lips to my neck. I bit my lip, closing my eyes at the sensation of his cool lips trailing a fiery burn up my neck. "You don't know that for a fact," he whispered, his sweet breath blowing on my skin.

"Would you two get a room already?" Emmett asked, in a slightly disgusted tone. I blushed as my eyes snapped open and looked into the faces of six very amused vampires. I made to climb off Edward's lap but he wasn't having that.

Rosalie snorted, but said in a serious voice, "You won't take his suggestion seriously, right?" I glared at her, and she backed off. I think her transition into 'older sister' role was hard for her. I was willing to wait - we had eternity, after all.

Edward didn't look embarrassed or repentant, though. He was grinning from ear to ear. I supposed that was what happened when you spent a hundred years being - what was it that Emmett said? - sexually repressed.

Alice, in a vain attempt to steer the conversation from further awkwardness, danced forward and occupied the seat I had just vacated. "Come on, Edward," she pouted. "We won't have fun there if you won't come…"

Edward rolled his eyes at her exaggeration. Alice giggled. "Alright, we will," she conceded. "But it's better if you come…Lots of mountain-"

"-Lions, I know," Edward finished for her, irritated.

I sighed, placing a hand over his still heart. "Edward, I promise nothing bad is going to happen. I want you to go, have fun, hunt…Please?"

He bit his lip, looking torn. "It's just not safe for you to be alone," he mumbled. I felt his hands running up and down my back, the cool feeling soothing me.

I smiled softly at him. "Like I said, I'll be at school and at work. You can call me anytime. Just have some vampire family bonding or something. I'll. Be. Fine," I stressed.

With Jasper throwing him persuading waves, Edward gave in. Esme actually wanted to stay behind, too, worried because of all the points Edward had mentioned, but I made her go. It wasn't fair for her to miss the hunt because of me.

Besides, this was Forks. What was the worst that could happen?

******************************************************************************

At exactly three twenty five, my purple cell phone rang. Rosalie had gotten it for me, telling me that it was better if I had purple instead of silver. Only God and Alice knew why.

I smiled, flipping it open as I reached my McLaren. "Hey, Edward," I said into it, knowing who it was without even checking the ID.

"Hello, love," he said, his velvet voice making me smile wider. "How was school today?"

I shrugged, before remembering that he couldn't see me. "Boring, mostly. Mr. Banner made us watch another documentary. I almost fell asleep," I chuckled.

He laughed along with me. "Well, just a day and a half left. I'm going to see if I could return by Friday night," he said. I could hear the stressed undertones in his voice.

I jumped into my McLaren and placed my book bag in the passenger seat. "What's wrong, love?" I asked, worried that something might have happened. Nothing exciting could ever happen at Forks High, but my family were out in the wilderness, hunting.

Plenty could happen to a family of seven vampires.

He sighed deeply. "It's nothing, Bella. Are you headed for work now?" he asked. Even through the phone I could hear the distaste in his voice. It wasn't so much that I was working minimum wage that was disgusting to him, it was the fact that I worked right next to Mike that irked him.

For some reason, he just couldn't get along with Mike. And for that same unknown reason, he wouldn't tell me why.

"No," I replied. I almost laughed at his sigh of relief. "I have the day off on Thursdays. Edward, what aren't you telling me?"

My voice had risen in my panic. Edward heard it, too, and begun assuring me. "I suppose I couldn't keep a secret from you," he joked, but I could sense his anxiety. "Alice caught a glimpse of a few vampires coming to town soon…She thinks they might be human blood drinkers. She isn't sure, though, because they haven't fully decided, yet."

I felt my blood run cold. "Are you all alright?" I whispered.

He chuckled gently. "Calm down, Bella. It's you who should be worried, not us. Don't worry, though. We're all fine, and so are you. I will call you again soon, Bella. Emmett's getting antsy."

"Okay," I whispered, still shaken. Human blood drinkers? The last time I had encountered those…I shuddered at the memory of Maria and her newborns. The crazed newborn who had entered my room back in Denali still haunted my deepest nightmares. The memory of Edward, silently enduring his pain as he healed, was still etched into my brain.

I wasn't ready for a repeat.

Edward sensed my worries, and called out my name gently. "Bella," he said softly. "Nothing's going to happen, my love. I love you, and I will protect you. You are my life, Bella. I promise you, everything will be alright."

I cleared my throat and shook my head slightly. "Yeah," I said, semi-confidently. "Have fun, Edward, and be safe."

I heard Emmett calling out, "Bye, Belly-Bean!"

I groaned at the nickname, and Edward laughed. "I'll call you soon, love. Drive safe."

I shut my phone, forcing myself to take deep breaths. This was so far from 'everything's fine'. I hated that my family might be in danger - yet again. Was this some sort of curse for getting to spend eternity young and wrinkle-free?

I tried to focus on the bright side. Alice wasn't sure that these human blood drinkers would even be in town. And even if they were, Carlisle would take care of everything. He usually knew what to do.

Not to mention that Edward would be home by tomorrow night. I had to smile at that.

"Bella?" I started and looked around me. I saw Angela walking towards me, and smiled at her. "Hey, what are you still doing here?"

I shrugged. "Just taking a breather. Gym sucked today," I lied, trying to make it sound convincing. I didn't think I succeeded, but Angela let it go. She understood privacy, which was just another thing I liked about her.

Angela smiled and placed a hand on my car door. "Do you want to come over tonight?" she asked. "I heard Mike moping about how you have the day off today…I was hoping we could study for the World History test on Monday."

I nodded my head. It sounded better than sitting home alone watching more of Emmett's ridiculously hilarious DVD collection. "Sure, what time do you want me there?"

Angela shrugged. "Anytime. I have to warn you, though - I'm babysitting the twins, so it might be a little crazy before dinnertime."

I laughed, shaking my head. "It's fine. I have to go home and get my notes first. How about I'll meet you at your house in an hour or two?" Angela nodded her head and made to leave but I called her back. "Do you want a ride?"

She looked down shyly. "No, it's okay. I was planning on walking home, anyway…"

"Don't be silly. Come on," I waved at her. She opened the passenger seat and I took my book bag off the seat. She climbed in and I smiled, driving off.

We passed a sour-looking Mike on the way and burst out into simultaneous laughter.

I dropped Angela off and drove quickly back home. All these years of speeding down the roads of God-knows-how-many different towns and cities has gotten to me. I had officially adopted the Cullen lifestyle.

I dashed into the house, tripping three times before I even reached the stairs and scrambled all the way up to my room. I changed into more comfortable clothes - a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. I grabbed my notes, stuffed them in my bag and headed down the stairs.

I felt awkward showing up at Angela's house empty-handed. It felt wrong to me somehow. I went into the kitchen and looked inside the fridge, pursing my lips as I thought.

Angela mentioned looking after her twin brothers tonight. Maybe I could make them something…I saw a box of cocoa and had my inspiration.

Whipping up my apron, I put it on and started to bake. I preheated the oven and pulled out the ingredients. Once I was done, I had to put in the batter in the oven for about an hour.

I pulled out my Spanish homework and started on it. There was no reason for me to waste time while I waited.

Edward called me again to ensure me that Alice had seen the nomad vampires on their way north of Forks. We had nothing to be worried about. I was glad for it.

He also mentioned coming home early. I would have protested and asked him to stay longer if he wished, but I had missed him terribly. I supposed it was selfishness that made me say 'I can't wait'.

I prepared the baked brownies and called Angela to tell her I was on my way. I pulled the grocery list from the fridge and stuck it in my bag. I might as well get to it myself since I was the one who needed the human food, not Esme. It was unfair to dump the responsibility on her.

I drove to the Webber's house and parked in front of the house. I didn't want to park in the driveway in case Mr. Webber arrived home before I left. I slung my bag over my shoulder and carried the brownies in my hands. I rang the doorbell and waited.

I heard the familiar screech of Angela's baby brothers. They were eight years old and incredibly hyper. I'd met them three times, all of which when I'd come over to study or watch movies with Angela.

The door swung open and Angela greeted me. Jim and Tim Webber hid behind her. They peeked out from behind her and gave me wide, toothy smiles. "Hey, Bella!" Jim yelled. I was pretty sure the neighbor heard him.

I laughed, stepping inside. I ruffled his adorable messy brown hair and handed Angela the brownies. "I made my famous brownies, guys," I announced.

Jim and Tim cheered - I'd made it for them once before, and they'd pestered me to make more ever since. Angela had jokingly complained about their addiction the whole week after that.

I stepped into the Webber's living room and waited for Angela to hand Jim and Tim each a piece of brownie. I knew she had to keep the rest out of reach so that the twins wouldn't finish them off completely before dinner.

Angela walked back into the living room, followed by Jim and Tim. They sat on the floor, playing video games, while Angie and I studied for World History.

More often than not, we strayed from our notes and ended up talking. I had missed having a human girlfriend. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy having Alice and Rosalie, even Esme, to talk to. It was just different with Angela.

She was perceptive, and she seemed to understand more than I gave her credit for. But she was always there when you needed her, and gave you privacy when you wanted it.

It wasn't hard to understand why she and I had been friends all those years ago, if she was just as kind and caring back then as well.

She gave me a sly look halfway through Footloose. We had abandoned our notes half an hour after my arrival. "So are you and Edward going to prom?" she asked, giggling.

I made a face as I thought about junior prom. I didn't have a strong desire to go. In fact, I'd be extremely glad if I didn't have to go. I shrugged, turning my eyes to look at Angie. "I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I don't want to go - you know how I am with dancing," I shuddered involuntarily, making Angela giggle.

Angela frowned slightly. "Won't Alice make you go?" she pointed out.

I groaned and nodded my head. "Yeah. She's probably already picked out the dresses and all…" I said, sifting through all the horrible images in my head. My God, what if she made me wear heels?

Angela looked shocked. "Already? Prom isn't for six months," she said, sounding awed.

I snickered. "It's Alice, Angela. Six months to her is like six minutes to the non-crazy population."

Angela ordered pizza for dinner. The twins had taken a nap some time around six, so I had to wake them up once the pizza arrived. If possible, they were even crazier after they woke up than before.

Pizza was a Webber household favorite, apparently. Jim and Tim wrestled for the last slice while Angela and I watched on, amused.

She looked at me shyly for a moment, then ducked her head. I knew she wanted to ask me something, but refrained from it. I smiled gently at her. "What is it, Ange?" I asked.

Angela shifted uncomfortably. "You know how Lauren's been acting even stranger than usual?" she asked.

I frowned, but nodded my head. She'd been plain hostile these past few weeks. It didn't scare me, of course. Only a nut job would be afraid of Lauren and last I checked, I was mostly sane.

I had wondered, once or twice, why she was acting so particularly nasty towards me lately. Edward wouldn't tell me anything, but he looked amused whenever he caught a glimpse of her mind.

It annoyed me to no end.

Angela continued, unaware of my one-sided mental conversation. "Well, Tyler's been telling everyone that he's going to ask you out - and he said he's sure you're going to say yes," she mumbled, almost inaudibly.

I gasped, choking on the water I had been sipping on. "What?" I cried. "How could he say that? No wonder Lauren looks like she's out to get me lately," I shook my head. I had denied Tyler one too many times. He was even more thick-headed than Mike.

Angela giggled. "I knew it couldn't be true. No one really believes it. You and Edward just seem so perfect together, so we all knew it wasn't true. It still made Lauren mad, though…"

Lauren had her eye set on Tyler and had made it perfectly clear that she hated me for 'stepping into her spotlight' since the first day I'd been here. She hated Rosalie more, of course, but one death glare from Rose was enough to make her want to wither and die.

I, however, wasn't as ferocious as Rose. That meant that Lauren had no trouble whatsoever making her dislike for me perfectly clear. No one actually listened to her pathetic ramblings, but she still said them all.

I hated the high school drama and all the attention. Alice had said once that attention was a part of being a Cullen. It wasn't entirely normal to get new students in the form of beautiful Gods with topaz eyes and dislike of getting to know others. The attention would dull after awhile, but it was unavoidable.

Attention as a whole group together didn't bother me so much, but Tyler was making me seem like some boyfriend-grabbing girl while I was already with Edward!

My eyes widened as I realized that Edward had known all along what was going on. I growled low in my throat, surprising even myself at that. I was going to ask Emmett to pound the boy when they get home! How could he not tell me!?

I shook my head at the incredulous situation that I had unwittingly stumbled into. Between the silly adolescent drama and an army of newborn vampires, I would gladly take on the newborns.

I stayed around in Angela's house until the movie ended. We hadn't actually studied a whole lot, but I knew both Angela and I would have no trouble with the test on Monday.

I needed to get to the grocery store, anyway. I bade Angela, Jim and Tim goodnight, and passed Mr. Webber on the way to my car.

I drove to the grocery store and parked in an empty space. I took a cart and started grabbing items. I was choosing between Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch when my phone rang. I answered it quickly, knowing it was Edward. He would just get anxious the longer I take to answer it.

"Where are you, love? I can hear people in the background," Edward said, the moment I answered the phone.

I smiled at the sound of his voice. I had missed him. Two days was too much in my opinion. I faintly remembered that I was supposed to be angry at him about something…I couldn't even bring myself to try and remember, though. I just wanted him back with me.

I sighed as I explained to him what I had been doing in the past few hours. Edward told me about the grizzly Emmett had been hunting - apparently, he had provoked the grizzly to get a more satisfactory fight out of it.

Unable to stop myself, I asked Edward about the vampires Alice had seen earlier. I knew it would only worry him that I was so upset, and it would probably lead him to keep things like this a secret from me in the near future, but I couldn't help myself. I just needed to make sure.

It was one thing to have Lauren out to get me. It was another thing entirely to bump into human blood drinkers in the grocery store.

Edward sensed the anxiety in my voice and assured me once more that the vampires weren't close to Forks any longer. He mentioned coming home tomorrow again. Feeling guilty, all of a sudden, I said, "You don't have to, Edward. I'd hate it if you were to miss out on the new hunting ground there because of me."

I heard him laughing softly on the other end, and smiled. His laughter was just so soothing. "Silly Bella," he chuckled. "Do you really think I'd rather chase mountain lions than be with you?"

Well, yes.

I was so busy focusing on the grocery list in my hand and talking to Edward, I didn't realize I'd bumped into someone. I gasped, making Edward worry. I looked up into a pair of sky blue eyes. "I'm really sorry," I apologized.

The boy I'm bumped into looked to be about eighteen years old, maybe older. His light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he wore a slight frown on his face. "It's alright," he mumbled, not looking away from me.

Under his scrutiny, I felt myself blush. I nodded once then steered my cart away from him to move along to the next aisle. His hand caught me by the arm, though, and I looked back at him, startled. "I'm James," he introduced, the frown vanishing slowly.

I gave him a small smile. "Bella," I said, shaking his outstretched hand. A smile appeared on his features.

I waved, then headed in the opposite direction he was going. I placed the phone back to my ear. "Edward?" I called out.

He was still on the line, though he wasn't as panicked as he was when I had gasped out loud. "What happened, Bella?" he asked, curious.

I laughed slightly. "Oh, just clumsy little me at it again. I literally ran my cart into someone. It's alright. No blood, no foul, right?" I joked, using the phrase he had used on me one too many times.

I heard him laughing before Alice was screeching at him to talk to me tomorrow - she wanted to get back to their game of Hide and Seek. I giggled. "Say hello to everyone for me, Edward," I said.

"I love you. Be safe, Bella."

******************************************************************************

I groaned as I glanced at my watch once more. I had woken up late today since I'd stayed up all night watching the horror movie marathon on TV. I really couldn't watch horror movies by myself, but I'd wanted to prove to myself - and Edward - that I could.

It didn't help that I couldn't sleep for hours after that.

I'd barely gotten a few hours worth of sleep when my alarm went off. I had tuned it out and woken up an hour later than usual. I had about five minutes to make it to class in time.

I screeched into the parking lot and scrambled out of my McLaren. I silently cursed under my breath as the bell rang halfway to my first period class.

I burst into the classroom a minute later, causing every pair of eyes to look at me. Mr. McIntire, otherwise known as the strictest teacher known on the planet, folded his arms and glared at me. "Nice of you to actually join us, Ms. Hale," he said sarcastically. "I'm sure the rest of us are incredibly humbled to be graced by your presence."

I blushed a deep scarlet and made my way to my seat. "Sorry, Mr. McIntire. I woke up late," I mumbled. I heard a few people snickering in the background, but didn't check to see who.

Mr. McIntire wasn't pleased by my excuse. "Well, since you seem to be so blasé about things, how about I suggest an extracurricular activity?" he suggested in a sneer. I sighed inwardly. Did he absolutely have to hate my guts? I wasn't even sure what I ever did to him.

He waved in the direction to my left. I looked to see what he was referring to, hoping it wasn't some form of new torture he'd devised, and my eyes widened in surprise. It was James, the boy I had bumped into at the grocery store the other day.

James didn't look the least bit surprised to see me. Of course, he must have already seen my oh-so-graceful entrance. "This is James Hunter, our newest student. I'd like you to show him around the school, and give him what help you can. As you know, my Trigonometry classes could be a little difficult…" he said.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Mr. McIntire wasn't happy that I was the only one who had managed to pass his first test ever. That only happened because Carlisle helped me. "I'd like you to be Mr. Hunter's guide, if you will."

I met James' sky blue eyes. They were unflinching as he gazed at me, unabashed. I blushed and looked away. "And remember, Ms. Hale, if he fails, this will be on your shoulders," Mr. McIntire said sternly.

I did groan out loud this time. What if the new kid was horrible at Trig? I wouldn't want to have to face punishment for something that wasn't even my fault.

I opened my mouth to argue, but Mr. McIntire had already turned back to the board and begun babbling about the new chapter we were starting today.

I tuned out Mr. McIntire the rest of the lesson. I wouldn't have understood the way he taught, anyway. I normally had Carlisle or Jasper tutor me in Trig back home.

When the bell rang, I packed up as fast as I could. As much as I didn't want to, I had to be James' guide around the school. I'm sure Mr. McIntire would go to the extreme of informing the other staff that I was his assigned guide. I didn't want to be berated for being a lousy guide or something.

_What does he even need a guide for? This school is so small, he'd have every square inch of it memorized before lunch_, I thought to myself.

I stood up and glanced at the seat James had taken up previously. My eyes widened in alarm when I noticed that it was empty. "Did you lose something, Ms. Hale?" Mr. McIntire's smug voice drifted to me from the front of the classroom.

I looked up and shook my head, a blush making its way to my cheeks. Without saying anything, I dashed out of the classroom, stumbling all the way, to find James.

I didn't have to look far - I found him right outside the classroom, back to the wall as he was flocked by every girl in class. I sighed. I supposed they were harassing the new kid - again. I had to say, I was glad my family and I weren't the new kids anymore.

I was just contemplating how to pull James out of this crowd of overeager girls when I wasn't even sure he wanted to be 'saved' when he spotted me. A smile made its way to his face. "Bella," he called out.

James' fan girls turned to glare at me and I blushed even further. James extracted himself from the crowd and came up to me. "Hello," he said quietly.

I gave him a smile. "Small world, huh?" I joked half-heartedly. James nodded his head, his smile widening, pleased that I remembered our short encounter yesterday.

I blushed as the memory of first encounter came back at me. I hoped I hadn't hurt his ankle when I had crashed into him. "I'm really sorry about last night," I mumbled as we walked away from the prying eyes and ears of his fan club. "I'm just really clumsy so being in charge of a shopping cart was pretty much disastrous."

James laughed. "It's okay. I'm not always graceful, either," he assured me. I must have still been blushing, looking mortified, because he held up both hands and said, "How about we start over?" He held out his hand for me to shake, "I'm James."

I snorted in laughter. This was completely silly. I took his hand nevertheless and shook it. "Bella," I said, smiling at the ridiculous situation.

I showed James around - he had most of his classes with me. We didn't have Spanish or Biology together, though, but he found my classroom and waited outside for me once the bell rang.

I thought he was a pretty nice person. I didn't know him well enough to judge, obviously, but I didn't think he was a bad person. He wasn't one of those love-struck boys like Mike and Tyler, either, which made it better and easier.

We sat together during lunchtime, together Angela and Ben. When we entered the cafeteria, I think every head turned to us. I blushed because of this and led James to the lunch line. I was telling him that Angela was in his next class if he needed anything since I would be in Biology and he wouldn't be.

We went over to my usual table. Angela and Ben, knowing that my family wouldn't be there since it was sunny and they loved to 'go camping' when it was sunny out, were already there. They didn't look particularly surprised to see James with me. We all had World History together and while we didn't get the chance to speak to one another during the class, I'm sure they had heard about my being James' guide through someone else.

Angela smiled at me as I sat next to her. James sat next to me. "Hey, Ange," I greeted her. "Ben," I nodded at her boyfriend. Angela looked towards James and my eyes widened, realizing that they hadn't been formally introduced. "James, this is Angela and Ben," I said.

James gave them a smile and shook Ben's hand. "Hello," he said.

There was a bit of an awkward silence. Angela turned to me and said, "Thanks again for the brownies. The twins couldn't get enough of it. Half of it's already gone."

I laughed. "Already? I made enough to feed twenty people!" I joked.

Angie laughed with me. "Mom thinks dad snuck off in the middle of the night to eat some," she mused. She turned her eyes on James. "So, James, how are you liking Forks?"

James shrugged. "It's different than where I lived before," he noted.

Ben grabbed his lemonade and took a swig. "Yeah? Where's that?" he asked, curious.

"New York."

I smiled, shooting James a look as I bit into my pizza. "Hey, I've just been there during the summer," I exclaimed. "It was amazing there…My sister went overboard with the shopping, though."

James grinned. I stared at his blue eyes and his smile. To anyone else, it was a perfectly normal picture. To me, for some unknown reason, shivers ran down my spine. It felt like something was wrong. I didn't know why, exactly.

I shook my head slightly, and pushed the feeling away. Being around vampires all the time must have made me paranoid. Who could blame me after so many attempts on my family's and my life?

"Yeah," James was saying. "New York's pretty great for shopping."

Angela narrowed her eyes at James and tilted her head to one side. "You look older than seventeen," she commented quietly.

James didn't even look abashed as he replied, "Yeah. I got held back a year or two." He didn't comment on his actual age and none of us asked. It just wasn't polite to, since he clearly looked uncomfortable talking about it.

Lauren and Jessica made their presence known, once more, by coming to our table to introduce themselves to James. "Hello," Lauren said, her nasal voice coming out low. I think she intended it to be sexy.

James looked amused as he greeted her. "We were just wondering if you'd want to sit with us," Jessica gave him a wide smile.

James shook his head. "It's alright. I'm fine right here with Bella," he said, leaning closer towards me without even looking at me. For some reason, his close proximity made me nervous. I shifted slightly in my seat but I didn't make a move to put a distance between us. I didn't want him to think I was rude.

Angela was frowning slightly as she looked between James and I, but she didn't say anything about it. Ben didn't notice anything at all as he held on to Angela's hand.

Lauren's fishy eyes narrowed as she looked at me. "Bella," she greeted me coldly. "Is Edward sick today?"

I sighed inwardly as I gave her a small smile. "No, Lauren. Edward's gone camping for a little while. He'll be back Monday."

I noticed that James had stiffened when Lauren mentioned Edward's name. She must have noticed the hard look on his face, as well, because she gave me a triumphant grin and offered him a place at her so-called elite table.

Once more, James declined. Lauren left in a huff and Jessica waved slightly at Angie and I before following.

James turned to me and, with curious eyes, asked, "Who's Edward?"

I smiled as I thought of Edward. It was only mere hours before he would return home and I would see him again. I couldn't wait! He was normally so exuberant after catching some mountain lions. He had sounded like he'd been having fun with the family when he'd called me, too.

I loved seeing Edward so carefree. I knew most people didn't know him well enough to judge but classified him as a quiet loner who was, undoubtedly, 'hot' - as Jessica put it. Even those who knew him, like the Denali clan in Alaska and Carlisle's friend, Alistair, who was a European nomad, thought Edward was always too serious.

I knew Edward, though. And while he was perfectly flawless in every way, I knew he was even more beautiful when he was happy with his family. I loved the candid moments when he was just himself, free from all the burden from his dark past, free from the guilt, the fear and the disgust at being a 'monster'.

When he was just happy, smiling, having fun - that was when he was at his best. Those moments were so rare that I almost felt like grabbing a camera and snapping a million pictures per second just so I could have a reminder until next time.

"Bella?" I heard someone call out. I blinked a few times and saw James looking at me, an annoyed expression on his face. Angela and Ben looked amused as I blushed.

Angela laughed and shook her head. "Don't mind her, James. She normally spaces out whenever she thinks of her Edward," she informed him.

I blushed a brighter shade of red. "Ange!" I protested. I had too big of a smile on my face, though, so she knew I wasn't really mad at her. "Edward's my boyfriend," I said, answering James' earlier question.

The hard look in James' eyes didn't subside. I wondered why that was. "And why isn't he here?" he asked nonchalantly.

I shrugged. "He loves to go camping. My entire family does," I chuckled. "They're pretty athletic." That was putting it mildly. Emmett had invented thirty different sports in the ten years I'd known him. Of course, twenty-seven of those were unsafe and Carlisle had to ban them, but it still said something…

"And you?" James asked, cocking his eyebrow.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I've got two left feet. I can't hike if my life depended on it. I'm not as athletic as the rest," I said, wincing as I remembered the many different times I had fallen flat on my face.

Ben snickered. "Yeah. She trips over her own feet too many times to camp," he added, winking at me. I slapped his shoulder and Angela laughed.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch time. I scrambled to take my bag and make sure everything I needed for Biology was in it. "So, you'll be okay with Ange and Ben?" I asked James. He gave me a smile and nodded his head. "Alright, then, see you guys later!" I stood up, wobbled a little and walked off.

I felt someone looking at me the whole time and glanced discreetly over my shoulder to see who it was as I dumped my tray. It was James, his eyes unwavering as he stared at me all the way from his seat. Angela and Ben were too wrapped up in one another to notice.

I frowned a little as I turned away and made to walk out the cafeteria door. Something about the way James looked at me made me a little uncomfortable. I wasn't normally comfortable with people looking at me, but his stares always made me feel…Uneasy.

I didn't know what it was about him that made me feel so paranoid. He was obviously just a normal kid who wanted to go through high school, graduate and move on. He didn't seem like an attention-seeking person, which was a good thing, I supposed, if I was to be his guide.

I sighed as I entered Biology and prepared for lab. I was being unnecessarily paranoid. James was a nice person.

Maybe hanging around Edward all the time has made me too neurotic for my own good.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I sighed as I closed my cell phone. Alice, who had been pestering me the whole phone call to Bella, danced all the way next to me and gave me a knowing look. "You really miss her, don't you?" she asked with a wide smile.

I smiled sheepishly and nodded my head. Alice chuckled. _You are so whipped, not to be able to go two days without her_, she thought. I growled playfully and ruffled her spiky hair. "See? Didn't I tell you this would happen?" she asked smugly, referring to the love I now shared with Bella.

I rolled my eyes. "Haven't you gloated about it enough?"

Alice shook her head. "Not for another three centuries," she affirmed. _Let's go play hide and seek_, she pleaded in her mind. I laughed at her enthusiasm. Her childlike demeanor really made me feel like her older brother sometimes.

Suddenly, Alice gasped. I saw Bella clambering into class late. I saw her shaking hands with a boy with brown hair. She snapped out of her vision, and shared a look with me.

I frowned at the memory of Alice's vision. There was something about that boy that I didn't like. He was human, and looked nothing more than ordinary. But the way his eyes had looked at Bella…It was so cold, so malevolent.

I started to panic. What was it that this human boy wanted with my Bella? Was a new kind of evil already surfacing? Was it in the form of humans this time?

I felt a strange feeling of serenity and looked up to see Jasper strolling up to Alice. She clasped her hand with his and continued to look at me worriedly. Jasper, feeling Alice's worry and my fear and anxiety, had to ask. "What's the matter?" he asked in his quiet voice, looking from Alice to me and back to Alice again.

I couldn't quell the panic in me, even with Jasper's help. Alice reached out and clasped a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Edward. I don't see him hurting her," she said reassuringly.

I nodded my head, breathing in the cool forest air in an attempt to calm myself. "When?" I asked, my voice coming out harsher than I had intended.

Alice hesitated, but I glared at her, willing her to lie to me. She sighed, defeated. "Tomorrow," she whispered, her topaz eyes wide as she waited for my reaction.

I could practically feel my eyes darken as I heard her answer. "We have to go back," I rasped.

Alice stopped me. "Edward, even if we go home, it'll be sunny tomorrow. We can't go to school," she reminded me.

I shrugged. "Then we'll tell her to stay home," I said decidedly.

"We don't know that he'll hurt her, Edward!" Alice protested. "Please, let's just calm down and see what's going to happen first."

I didn't like that plan. Too many things could go wrong. What if we were too late to stop him? What if he really was as cold as he looked? What if he harmed her in any way?

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I couldn't protect her.

Alice grasped my hand and squeezed. "Edward, she's got us to take care of her. She won't be harmed," she said confidently.

Never bet against Alice. Bella had said that time and again over the past ten years.

_Have a little faith in me, Edward_, Alice pleaded silently. I took a deep breath and nodded, the action more painful than anything I'd ever done. "Let's hunt," I said, taking off from where I'd been standing.

I followed the scent of another mountain lion and gave in to my savage nature. I knew Alice would tell Jasper and the others about her vision. And I knew that my family would no doubt protect Bella.

She meant too much to us for us to lose her.

I circled the mountain lion, finding the irony yet again at how such a vicious animal could be the prey. The big cat tensed as I approached in a crouch, its fur ruffling as it gave a loud roar. I almost chuckled as my eyes darkened further.

The scent of its sweet blood called to me. I let go of all rational thoughts and gave a vicious snarl. The mountain lion gave a slight whimper involuntarily.

I was the predator.

I pounced and snapped its neck, sinking my teeth into the warm and tender flesh.

Once I was done, I pushed the carcass away from me and stood up, straightening the non-existent wrinkles on my pristine shirt.

I sighed as I stared up into the darkening sky. Time has never moved so slowly for me.

******************************************************************************

"Is it absolutely necessary for you to do that right now?" I snapped at Emmett and Rosalie, who were leaning against the Jeep, locked in each other's embraces.

Emmett pulled away from Rose and chuckled at me. "Relax, bro. She hasn't run off or anything," he joked.

I growled, shoving him aside and climbing in. Emmett shook his head and climbed into the driver's seat. Alice and Jasper came in from the left and jumped into the Jeep, as well. Carlisle and Esme had already started on their journey back home on feet.

Emmett fiddled with the radio, purposely delaying our trip back home. "Emmett," I growled under my breath. He laughed, turning the radio on to a ridiculous pop station and revving the engine.

Sometimes I wished I could just leave him in a volcano somewhere.

I listened to Bella's heartbeat as we rounded the corner that led up to the unmarked road leading to our secluded house. I heard the wonderful thump of her heart, the glorious sound of her voice as she spoke. I heard the soft music I recognized as my own and smiled when I realized she was listening to the CD I'd given to her that consisted of some of my compositions, including the lullaby I'd written for her.

"Ange, James doesn't like me…" she was saying. I frowned at the mention of this James person. I didn't know anyone by the name James. Was this the unfamiliar boy I'd seen in Alice's vision?

Emmett, being himself, said, "Whoa. Competition again, lover boy?" I glared at him and leapt out of the moving vehicle, sprinting towards the big, white house. Emmett was chuckling in his mind as he thought, _Eager much, Edward?_

I ignored both his spoken and unspoken comments, and dashed inside the house. Bella was still on the phone, saying, "Well, maybe he was just looking in my general direction. It doesn't mean anything, either way."

I followed her scent into the living room. She was sitting on the floor, her World History book propped open on the table as she grabbed another Mochi ice cream from a plate. I knew she had become addicted to those.

She looked up without my saying a word, as if sensing my presence. A huge smile made its way to her lips, lighting up her entire face so that it seemed as if she was glowing. Her big brown eyes sparkled and she mumbled, "I've got to go, Ange. I'll call you tomorrow."

She hung up and threw the phone on the couch. She jumped up and ran towards me. She tripped, of course, but I caught her with my arms around her waist and lifted her up.

Bella giggled, throwing her arms around me as I twirled her around. "Did you miss me?" I whispered, setting her down on my feet, brushing her hair back from her face.

She blushed at my touch, but smiled up at me nonetheless. "That's a silly question," she answered, looking up at my shyly.

I sighed happily, gazing into her deep, brown orbs. I smiled, leaning down to capture her lips with mine. I closed my eyes at her sweet taste, so incredibly wonderful to me…Bella arched into me as we kissed, pulling herself closer to me.

I held her tightly to my body, not wanting to stop even though I knew we should. Bella pulled away first, panting as she gasped in oxygen into her lungs. I refused to stop touching her, though. Three days was enough to drive me insane.

I had enjoyed the game at the new spot. I had to admit, it was exhilarating to hunt at a new place every now and again.

But I would give it up in a heartbeat if it meant more time with my angel. I pressed my lips to her throat, trailing little butterfly kisses that always made her breath come out haggard. Bella's hold on me tightened ever so slightly as she gasped at the feel of my cool lips against her warm skin.

I smiled. No matter how many times we did this, I would eternally be amazed at the reaction I could draw out of her. And it was all because of me. I would never tire of this.

I was so caught up with Bella that I didn't realize that the entire family had come in. Jasper cleared his throat, and Bella opened her eyes to look at our siblings. "I know this is a great reunion moment and all," Jasper said in a mock serious tone. "But I'd rather not be scarred for my entire existence."

Bella rolled her eyes, though a blush made its way to her cheeks. I kissed her pink cheeks, reveling in the warmth. "Right," she retorted. "Because it didn't scar my natural born life to walk in on the two of you fogging up the windows when I was eight."

Jasper snorted, ruffling Bella's hair as he walked past us. She mocked glared at him, fixing her hair.

I set her on her feet, keeping my hold on her hand as I walked her back to the couch. "Where's dad?" Bella asked, looking around.

"In his study, why?" Emmett asked, plopping down on the couch next to her and turning on the TV.

Bella didn't answer him, but called out to Carlisle instead. "Daddy?"

Carlisle appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a smile on his face as he gazed lovingly at Bella. I knew he loved it whenever Bella called him 'dad'. It made him feel special that he had a daughter, a real daughter that he had raised. "Yes, dear?"

Bella smiled, taking something from the coffee table and holding it out for him. "Alistair called. He said he wanted to visit sometime soon. He wanted you to call him and tell him if it's alright. His number's changed," she said.

Carlisle took the piece of paper, then kissed Bella on the forehead. "Thank you, Bella. I'll see to it," he said, patting her hair once then disappearing up the stairs.

I lifted Bella off the couch and settled her on my lap. She snuggled into my cold chest, making me awed once more than she seemed to be so comfortable against stone. "So…Who is this James?" I asked nonchalantly.

Emmett laughed, hiding it as a cough. Alice had told him of her vision, of course, but he thought she and I were being paranoid.

Bella blushed a little. "You heard that, huh?" she mumbled, ducking her head against my shoulder. I laughed, though it was a little forced. I was too worried to be completely amused by her embarrassment. "He's the new guy in school," Bella explained.

Alice frowned taking a seat next to Jasper on the loveseat. Rosalie sat next to Emmett, occupying Bella's vacant spot. "Really?" she asked. "What's he like?"

Bella shrugged. "Nice, I guess. Mr. McIntire made me his guide, so he'll probably be hanging around me a lot next week. It's only for a while, though. I don't think he'll need a guide for a very long time in a place like Forks High."

Emmett tuned in to that show he loved so much, American Idol. They were still showing the auditions, the part that Emmett loved the most. He loved watching people who can't sing making a fool out of themselves in front of live television.

He turned to give Bella a knowing smirk. "Anyone throw themselves at him, yet?" he asked, snorting with laughter.

Bella smiled. "Lauren and Jessica, mostly," she conceded. At the mention of Lauren's name, Bella turned back to me and slapped my arm.

I gave her a shocked expression. "What was that for?" I asked, rubbing my arm where she had hit although it didn't even hurt.

She scowled at me. "Why didn't you tell me what Tyler's been saying?" she demanded, glaring at me. I opened my mouth but she shook her head. "And don't even try acting innocent, Edward Cullen, you're a freaking mind reader!"

Jasper chuckled at Bella's kitten temper, but otherwise held his tongue. I smiled apologetically at Bella. "I'm sorry, love. I just didn't want to upset you…" She folded her arms and glowered at me. She really had perfected Rosalie's glare. "And I wanted to have a little fun when he would ask you out," I admitted sheepishly.

Bella groaned, dropping her head on my shoulder. "I hate you," she mumbled, her voice coming out muffled as she spoke directly into my shoulder.

I pretended to be hurt, pleading with my eyes. "I'm really sorry, love," I said. I knew she wouldn't stay mad at me for too long. "I knew it wouldn't really upset you if he asked you out…"

Bella sighed, lifting her head to look at me. "No, but Lauren's been plotting my murder for two weeks, Edward," she said sulkily.

I ran my fingers through her silky hair, burrowing my nose in her luscious looks. I breathed in her intoxicating scent. "I'm sure she won't actually kill you. She's decided that orange isn't her color," I said, amused by the mindless musings in Lauren Mallory's head.

I drew back slightly, pressing my lips gently to Bella's. I stared into her eyes, making full eye contact as I tried to 'dazzle' her. "So are you mad at me, still?" I asked, whispering.

Bella's heart thudded faster than before. I smiled as I realized that it was because of me. She blinked, then scowled at me. "Ugh," she complained, resting her head against my shoulder. "Cheater."

I laughed, exuberant, content that I was finally with my true love once more.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

Alice was anxious about this new guy. She said she kept having visions of him and Bella spending time together, but it was never outside of school. She said Bella looked mostly fine in her visions, except that she looked uneasy in a few.

I have yet to meet the kid. I wasn't exactly sure how to act. Alice and Edward were both uneasy about him. Alice wasn't sure of the outcome of the future, but kept having a 'feeling' that something horrible was on the horizon.

How exactly was I supposed to react to that? What was I supposed to say to the human that could potentially hurt my baby sister in the future?

Emmett wasn't too concerned. In his mind, humans couldn't do much damage. After all, we were seven vampires against one puny human. What could happen?

I knew better, though. We all did.

Rosalie was upset because of what had happened to her in her human life. She was worried that the bad intentions Alice mentioned might be the worst thing that could ever happen to a woman. She didn't want Bella to suffer the same fate.

Edward had read too many minds, even the sick ones, to know humans weren't always defenseless. In fact, during his rebellious years, he had hunted these sick bastards.

I read emotions. While this wasn't as definite as reading minds, I still knew the evil that lurked in a human heart.

It was lunch time already. Edward and Bella were supposed to come in any second, according to Alice. We were all already seated at our usual table.

According to Alice, as well, James was going to join us. Emmett had cracked his knuckles mockingly and said that he would intimidate James all the way to Iceland.

Alice nodded her head in the direction of the cafeteria entrance and all four of us turned to look. Edward was stiff as a board, holding Bella to him as he walked between Bella and James. His eyes were onyx even though we had just come back from a hunting trip two days ago. He looked as if he would rather be anywhere but here as he, Bella and James went to the lunch line.

His emotions were in disarray. Anxiety, anger and protectiveness flowed out of him like water from a fountain. But he was also bursting with fear. Fear.

That alone was enough to send me in a state of panic. Edward was very rarely afraid. The Volturi, Maria, Connor…These were the few times in the time I'd known him that he'd been afraid.

For a human to strike fear in my brave brother's heart…Well, that was saying something.

Alice, feeling the panic I was now giving to the entire table, grabbed my hand and squeezed gently. "Jasper, calm down," she whispered, rubbing her thumb along the back of my hand lovingly.

I nodded, taking deep breaths of air I didn't need. Edward and Bella came up to us, James trailing behind. They sat side by side, Edward making sure that Bella was sandwiched between himself and Emmett. James sat next to Edward, looking completely displeased at having Edward as an obstacle.

His emotions shocked me. He didn't feel threatened as he sat next to Edward. He didn't feel fear when he looked at the rest of us. He felt lust when he looked at Bella, but that was it.

He was, as frighteningly shocking as it was, empty.

It almost felt like there wasn't really anybody there. If I could only rely on my gift to sense a presence, and I closed my eyes, I wouldn't have known he was there at all.

I noticed that his scent, though inviting, didn't drive me to kill him. It was as if something was making his blood thinner; maybe even dull the scent somehow. I didn't think he did this on purpose. He didn't seem to know what we were, but there was just something about him.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at James. "Have we met?" she asked suspiciously, sizing him up. Emmett stiffened next to Rose, his arm draping around her shoulders protectively as he stared James down.

James didn't blink as he turned his gaze from Emmett to Rosalie. "No," he said dismissively. "We haven't."

He started picking on his food, unaware of all of us staring at him. Bella looked at our impassive faces, frowning. She was starting to panic, uneasy as she took in our faces. I sent her a shot of calmness, but continued to stare at James.

When I finally turned away from his virtually empty vessel of emotions, I caught Edward's murderous gaze. His face was hard as he turned away from James. "We have a problem," he hissed, too low for human ears to catch on.

I shared a look with Alice, Emmett and Rosalie, wary of the next chaotic trouble that had seemingly found us.

______________________________________________________________________________

Did you get the Bones reference??

Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for voting on the human villain. I promise I will try my hardest to make it creepy yet wonderful. 409 of you voted for human James, and 279 of you voted for 279. Nearly 700 votes - which is mind-blowing.

I have yet another poll up. I wanted to know which story you wanted me to complete first after I'm done with BH. As you all know, this story is coming to an end and shortly I will start the sequel. I've already got the ideas piling up, but I need a short break before writing it.

I can't decide which story to focus on, so I need your help. Please go to my profile page and vote. Thank you very much for your support.

Next chapter will be up ASAP. I'm typing away, trying to move at the speed of light.

On to more pressing matters, any of you have any suggestions for masculine names? It's the one thing I could never do - choose the right name. If I ever have children, I'm letting the father choose. I'm trying to create names for my characters. What annoys me is that the first book of my series is already written, the entire series already planned, and I've changed the name a zillion times. It's irritating. Any ideas?

P.S. 'James Hunter' is actually the name of the male protagonist in one of my original stories. It's in the works now, but I just had to use it. It fits, don't you think? I didn't know how old James was, and in the movie he definitely looked older than 18, but it had to fit here so…

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Please review.

Juliet.


	45. Stranger Danger

_**A/N: **__So a lot of you didn't get the Bones reference and asked me what it was. In season 1, in the episode The Man in the Bear, Booth brings Brennan pictures of the hand found in the bear. When he said 'pack your bags' to her, Brennan told him she's not going. In return, he gives that Booth charm smile and said "Just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me." I used that line in the last chapter._

_Also, I have to say that it was entertaining to see what everyone thought of James. Your theories were intriguing. None of that came close to what James was. I have no idea if it would be explained in this chapter so I won't say anything._

_P.S. Thanks for all the masculine names!_

_I'm sorry this took so long. Please read and review._

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Edward, Jasper, Bella, James, Rosalie_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

I tried getting something about this James Hunter boy throughout the first few classes I had without Bella. He wasn't in any of my classes without Bella, either.

The only thing I could manage to get was how the girls in the school thought he was somewhat good-looking and was wondering how I was taking the fact that James was with my girlfriend all the time. The immature boys in the school wanted to see James and I get into a fight over Bella.

I shook my head. Humans were incredibly ridiculous sometimes.

Surprisingly, I couldn't find James' thoughts. It wasn't for a lack of trying. I wanted to know what he thought of Bella and if I was going to have any problems with him. I wanted to know if I should be on alert when he's around my Bella.

I couldn't find his 'voice' amongst the hum that resided in my brain, though. It was the strangest thing ever. Regardless the fact that I had never met the boy and hadn't heard his thoughts up close, I could normally find the new voice, especially in a school with such a small student body.

I waited for Bella outside the cafeteria, anxious for her. My family had already gone in. I heard her coming, so attuned to her voice. "Edward's in school today. Why do you ask?" I heard her saying.

"No reason," an unfamiliar male voice answered her. I felt myself tense. That must have been James. "Just wanted to meet the guy you've been talking about non-stop for the past three days."

I smiled, smug and satisfied. She had talked about me for three days? Non-stop? Well, that was something. Of course, Emmett would say that I talk about her all the time when we hunted, but this was different.

I saw Bella blushing as she came into view, a blonde male walking beside her. I recognized him from Alice's vision. His face was blank from all expression as he watched her. "I-I wouldn't say non-stop…" He gave her an incredulous look and she chuckled, sighing. "I'm sorry. I really have been talking about him an awful lot, haven't I? I've just missed him, that's all."

They reached me, Bella blushing brighter when she realized that I had heard the last part of her conversation. I wrapped my arm around her waist, smiling at her. Bella leaned up on her toes and I obliged by kissing her lips gently. I didn't do any more than that even though I wanted to - it was highly inappropriate in the company of others, especially men who were ogling her.

I turned my attention back to James, glaring at him. He didn't seem one bit affected by this. I felt my jaw drop as I scoured for his thoughts. I couldn't hear a single thing - just like with Bella. No wonder I couldn't sense his thoughts when I could have so easily spotted the new one amongst the others.

James returned my glare with a perfectly calm look. This sent shivers down my spine. It wasn't that I was afraid of him. I was afraid of the situation. Every instinct in my body was telling me that this was the enemy, that I had to fight or run. My predatory instincts had never been wrong, and they never will be - that I know for a fact.

What was it about this insignificant human whose mind I couldn't read that caused my instincts to tell me to be on guard?

I wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders, holding her to my side, and walked in between herself and this James person.

James' dead blue eyes looked at me with amusement, as if he knew I was purposely putting distance between him and Bella. I felt my eyes turning black as I stared coldly at him.

Bella invited him to sit with us and our family. James readily agreed.

As we made our way to the lunch line, I tried to sense his thoughts, maybe catch a little glimpse of it. It was as if his mind was an empty place - no thoughts, no memories, no images. Nothing.

I caught a whiff of his blood and stiffened. It wasn't that I was attracted to it - it was that I wasn't attracted to it. His blood was…Unappealing. The scent was hardly there, blocked by something, it seemed. It was as if his scent was a hundred miles away instead of right behind me.

I shook my head slightly. His mind, his cold eyes, his blood…There was something wrong with him. What could it be, though?

He was human, that was for sure. His heart was beating, his blood still flowed, and he smelled human, no matter how faint his scent was. There was no way a vampire could camouflage himself so thoroughly this way.

We went to our table where the rest of the family was already seated. I kept Bella at my side the whole time, putting James at a distance. I didn't want him anywhere near Bella - at least, until I figure out what was wrong with him.

Maybe Jasper had some insight.

I looked up to see my entire family watching us approach the table. I supposed they were intrigued from what they had heard of Alice's vision. Rosalie just looked plain murderous. She hated it whenever a human, other than Bella, tried to infiltrate our little family. She didn't want any accidents leading up to the revelation of our secret.

I focused only on Jasper's thoughts. _Oh, God. I can't feel anything from him. He-he's like a void of some kind…What's going on? Am I losing my gift? No…I can still feel emotions from everyone else. Maybe if I concentrate on only him…Still can't. This is not good._

I sat down, Bella between myself and Emmett. James sat on my other side, coolly looking around the table, not an inch of fear in him, according to Jasper.

In fact, according to Jasper, the only emotion he felt was lust - directed at my Bella. My arm around her shoulders tightened.

Bella opened her mouth to introduce everyone, but before she could, Rosalie spoke. Her eyes were narrowed as she accessed James. "Have we met?" she asked icily, her voice thick with suspicion.

James, who had been having a staring contest with protective big brother Emmett, turned his gaze slowly to Rosalie. He didn't blink. He didn't show fear. His expression never changed. "No," he said, his voice equally cold. "We haven't."

Emmett had stiffened the moment Rosalie said they might have met previously. His arm had made its way protectively around her shoulders, and he sat stiff as a board next to her.

_Keep an eye out on that one, Eddie_, he growled in his head, not liking the new human.

Bella, perceptive as ever, started to notice our worried looks and our glares directed at James. I heard her heartbeat starting to accelerate, her breath quickening. She was panicking.

Jasper, sensing this, too, sent her a shot of calmness.

I extracted my arm from around her shoulders to take her hand in mine. I lifted our entwined fingers to my lips and kissed the back of her hand gently. She gave me a brilliant smile and I returned it half-heartedly. I rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand.

I didn't want her to panic. James might be a potential danger, but we didn't know anything yet. While he was apparently giving us all a danger vibe, we couldn't just up and go. We needed to find out if he was really a threat and eliminate him if it was necessary.

I winced, glancing at Bella.

She wouldn't like that one bit.

Jasper was still trying to catch a glimpse of emotion from James though I knew he would have no luck, just like me. Emmett, too, felt the danger. He wanted nothing more than to grab Rose and Bella and bolt because we couldn't pick a fight with a human in the middle of a crowded cafeteria.

Alice was desperately trying to get visions but James hadn't planned on anything, so she couldn't see what he was going to do. Rosalie was plain annoyed that a human had to sit with us but she, too, felt that something was wrong.

It wasn't just me who felt this way. I wouldn't have attributed my gut feeling as jealousy but now I knew for sure. There really was something amiss.

"We have a problem," I hissed in a low voice, my lips barely moving, my voice too low for humans to hear.

My siblings looked at me knowingly, aware of the potential threat that sat right next to me.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I waved goodbye to James and walked hand in hand with Edward to his Volvo. He looked distant, like he had all day since he'd met James. I didn't know why he was acting so strange. James seemed like an okay sort of guy.

None of the others were near the Volvo. I noticed Rose's M3 was missing - they had already gone home. I tugged at Edward's hand when we reached the Volvo. It wouldn't have done anything but he stopped nonetheless. He turned to face me, his face blank. I knew he only did that so I wouldn't see what he was feeling or thinking.

I knew him better than that, though. It didn't matter if he kept his face expressionless or if his eyes were staring at me coolly. I knew him.

I stepped closer to him and, automatically, his arms wrapped around my waist. I loved it when we stood like this - I always felt so protected, so loved. I didn't know how he managed to do that, but it never ceased to make my heart flutter.

I sighed, cupping his beautiful face with my hands. Bringing his face down to me, I kissed his lips softly. He closed his eyes, dipping his head and resting his forehead against mine. I brushed my thumbs along his cheekbones, causing him to growl softly.

I giggled slightly. He opened his eyes. I smiled - they were bright topaz once more. They had turned so dark the moment he saw James.

At the thought of that, I frowned at him. "Edward," I whispered. "Won't you tell me what's gotten you so worried?"

His smile slipped from his flawless face. "Bella," he shook his head. He didn't pull away from me, though. Not that I would let him.

I rested my head on his shoulders and kissed the side of his neck a few times. "Please, Edward?" I asked quietly. I knew he could hear me. "I hate seeing you so upset."

His arms tightened around my waist. I felt him burying his face in my hair. His chest heaved as he took in a deep breath. I smiled slightly. He loved the smell of my strawberry shampoo. It was one of the reasons I loved it so much.

He pulled back to look into my eyes. They were slightly darker than the bright topaz a few moments ago, but they weren't onyx, so I wasn't completely worried for him. "Alright," he whispered, the carefully calm façade dropping. I saw now just how anxious and afraid he was. "But not here. I think we should talk about this with everyone, back home."

I nodded. He leaned in to kiss me once more. I thought it was going to be one of those chaste kisses we always shared when in public, but he surprised me when he brought me closer. I gasped into our kiss, my head growing light and foggy as he kissed me breathless.

When he pulled back finally to allow me to breathe, he gave me a small smile and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes smoldered as he gazed at me.

Something about that kiss bothered me. It wasn't one of our chaste kisses, or one of those lust-filled ones, either. It was a desperate kiss, like he was making sure we had one last kiss before something happened.

A chill ran down my spine. Was something going to happen?

Edward led me into the car and I let him. I kept glancing at him throughout the short drive back home. His face was impassive, but I could practically feel his worry radiating off of him.

We made it back home in mere minutes. Edward parked in his usual spot, next to the M3, and was out of the car before I could blink. He was at my side in an instant. I quickly unbuckled my seat belt. He bent and scooped me into his arms at vampire speed. I gave a surprised yell and wrapped my arms around his neck, laughing. He closed the door and walked at normal, human, speed towards the house.

I swung my legs back and forth, tracing his lips with one hand, my other arm firmly around his neck. Edward smiled as he gazed at me. I closed my eyes and snuggled further into him, burying my face into his neck. I felt something soft underneath me and opened my eyes.

I was in my room, and Edward had placed me on my bed. He was hovering above me, watching me intently. I blushed under his gaze, making him chuckle. He leaned down and kissed my jaw softly.

I shivered at his wonderful touch, but forced myself to focus. "Why are we here?" I asked, hating how my voice quivered merely because he was touching me. It always amused him how I was so out of control around him. "I thought we were going to discuss whatever it was that's bothering you?"

I pulled back and frowned at him. I hoped he wasn't going to try and back out of his promise. He had done that plenty of times whenever he wanted to get his way. He would dazzle me, kiss me, and smile that crooked smile of his.

And the worst part was - I could never say no.

Edward laughed, but I noticed that this time, it was a little strained. The anxiety in his eyes was back. "No, love. I'm not. We wanted to talk when Carlisle is home. We need his insight," he murmured, trailing kisses down my throat.

I bit my lip. Carlisle? If they needed Carlisle to even discuss this 'situation', whatever it was, then it must be a big deal. I wondered if trouble has found us once more. I hoped it wasn't something dangerous.

Knowing us, it was probably something fatal.

Edward found my pulse point and pressed his lips to it. I gasped, my eyes sliding close on its own accord. My fingers tightened in his hair, holding him to me. He slid up my body, holding me down to the bed gently. He gave me a crooked smile as I gasped in as much air as I could, only now realizing that I had stopped breathing the moment his lips had found mine.

He ran his finger down my arm, then slid both his hands under my shirt. He placed both his hands on the sides of my hips, never straying. He was much too gentlemanly for anything else, I supposed.

I knew he wanted to wait, but it was getting steadily harder each and every time we touched. The way his eyes darkened dangerously every time, I knew he felt it, too.

He pressed his body gently on mine, careful not to crush me. It wouldn't matter anyway, because I was pretty much hyperventilating at this point. I was sure that I would forget how to breathe and die from lack of oxygen pretty soon.

My hands, still tangled in his hair, pressed down as hard as I could, bringing his head to mine. He obliged and pressed his cold lips to my warm mouth. Just when I thought I had had enough and would explode already, he opened his lips. I took in a haggard breath, taking in as much of his sweet breath as I could.

The door burst open, making the both of us jump in surprise. We pulled away, unfortunately, to see our intruder.

Emmett stood frozen at the door, his mouth hanging open. I scowled at him. "Is there a reason you're here, Emmett?" I asked, irritated.

Edward chuckled at my annoyed expression, pressing his lips to my forehead. He made no move to get off me, but I tightened my grip on him nonetheless.

Emmett croaked out something that was probably not English, then cleared his throat. He blinked a few times as he regained his composure. "I…Really didn't need to see that," he said uncomfortably. If he were human, he would probably be blushing right about now.

"Emmett!" I half-yelled.

He jumped. "Right. Right!" he said, remembering why he had decided to barge into my room at all. "I wanted to know if you've seen my new games I just bought. I don't know where I kept them," he said sheepishly, looking anywhere but at his little sister on the bed, entangled in his brother's arms.

I rolled my eyes. "You hid them in the basement, afraid Rose will find out you bought more games," I reminded him. "Now get out and close the door."

He did so, stumbling a little. I shook my head. That was the first time I had ever seen a clumsy vampire. I didn't expect that at all.

Edward looked back at me, amusement in his eyes. "Who do you think sent him?" he murmured quietly.

I shrugged. "Jasper, probably. I played a prank on him yesterday. It's probably his idea of revenge."

Edward smirked. "My bet is on Esme. She wanted to make sure we were 'playing it safe'," he told me.

I sighed. "Silly mind reader," I muttered.

He laughed, bending down to press his lips to mine. It lacked the urgency of our kisses before the interruption, though. This was a gentle one, but I'd take anything I could get.

Too soon for my liking, he pulled away and rolled off of me. I groaned in protest. He laughed, cupping the side of my face with his cool hand. "We should probably get started on our homework," he said gently. "When Carlisle gets home…Well, you know," he said, making a face.

I studied his distant expression, worry etching his features once more. Whatever it was that was bothering him must be pretty bad for him to be constantly worrying about it. Of course, this was Edward. He was known to overreact all the time.

Nonetheless, I hated seeing him so miserable and anxious. Taking the hand still on my cheek, I shifted it so that I could press my lips to his palm. He looked up into my eyes and smiled. "Don't worry, Edward," I whispered. "Whatever it is, we'll be okay."

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He nodded. Leaning in, he pressed his lips swiftly to my cheek, then backed off. "I'll go get our books," he said, rushing out the door in the blink of an eye. I had barely moved when he returned, both our backpacks in his arms.

I sighed. I'd rather kiss him than do my homework, but I knew he would insist. I sat next to him on the bed, starting on my dreaded calculus homework.

******************************************************************************

I was watching American Idol with Emmett when Carlisle came home. Edward snatched the remote control and turned off the TV right when Simon was giving one of his typically negative remarks. Emmett and I both protested loudly, but Edward simply gave us a reprimanding glare.

I pouted at him and his expression softened. Emmett chuckled and shook his head, "Dude. You're a big softie, man."

Edward shot him an irritated look. "Yes, because it's extremely manly to stutter and stumble after walking in on your sister and her boyfriend," he shot back. Emmett immediately stopped laughing and sulked.

I laughed, patting the couch next to me. Edward came to sit next to me, wrapping his arm protectively around my shoulders. I leaned into him, snuggling to get comfortable, and rested my head on his chest.

Carlisle smiled at the sight of the entire family in the living room. I bit back my laughter as I looked at him. He looked so formal after work. It was a huge contrast to the family man image he had on weekends.

He walked over to Esme, who was sitting on the loveseat, and sat next to her. Pressing a chaste kiss on her lips, he surveyed the room. His smile dropped when he noticed the somber expressions on everyone's faces. "What's going on?" he asked seriously.

Jasper and Edward launched into their versions of what happened. I shivered as I listened. What could possibly make James such an empty person? No emotions and no thoughts? Granted, Edward couldn't read my mind, either, but he said that with me, it was more of a peaceful presence. With James, it was just blocked somehow.

Carlisle was in deep thought. He addressed Edward first. "And do you think he knows about us? About vampires? Do you think he purposely blocked his thoughts and emotions?" he asked.

Edward shook his head. "No. I think that something in him, maybe a dark past of some sort, or some psychological reason, resulted in an empty vessel. It's not natural. He doesn't seem to know of us, but he seemed fearless…"

Jasper nodded his head at this. "I could feel nothing. It wasn't blocked, it was just nonexistent. He has no emotions," he said. Cocking his head to one side, he looked at me. "Well, except for one. He feels lust when he looks at Bella. Extreme lust."

I felt myself blushing, and buried my face in Edward's shirt. How embarrassing was that? To have your own brother feel the lust another boy harbored towards you? Not to mention I had no idea that James felt that way.

This was scary beyond belief. Whenever we had such drastic meetings like these, it was because of a supernatural threat. Never once had a human been the one to strike fear in my family and induce a family meeting.

In Paris, Rosalie had called a meeting about Gabriel. I remembered blushing throughout the entire thing. Not only was I overly hormonal and experiencing my period - which everyone in the room could smell, as disgusting as that was - I was the center of their discussion. They spent forty minutes deciding if I should go out with Gabe.

Now, with James, I had no idea what to think. Last week, I had merely thought of James as someone I was supposed to show around. When I had spent some time talking with him, I'd thought that maybe we could be friends.

He seemed like a really good listener, and a pretty normal boy.

Never once did I think he would end up as an empty vessel. Was this what Hitler was like? No emotions and a private mind?

Was I destined to be as hollow as he was? I was already halfway there. Edward couldn't read my mind, either. If I were to be a vampire, would I be like James somehow? Would I have no emotions, too? Would I turn out to be a ruthless killer without a second glance at my victims?

_Wait a minute_, I said to myself, taking a mental step back. Ruthless killer? What was I talking about?

For all we knew, James was just another private person. I never intended to keep my mind private from a mind-reader, but there it was.

So maybe that was what's going on with James, too. He might not know about vampires, but I didn't, either, when I first met Edward. Maybe we were all jumping to conclusions.

Alice cleared her throat and spoke up. "I can't tell for sure what he's up to," she said, her normally upbeat voice unusually somber. "He hasn't made any decisions yet. All I can say is that every time I look into his future, I see Bella."

Again, everyone looked at me. I glared at them, annoyed. "Will you stop that!?" I asked, my voice coming out a frightened squeak. The very fact that seven vampires were so anxious about one human had me afraid.

Jasper sensed this, of course, and sent me a huge burst of tranquility. I almost fell asleep. He retracted a little, sending me little shots of energy. I smiled my gratitude at him, and he nodded his head.

Carlisle took a deep breath. "For now, I think it's best if we don't do anything," he said, giving his verdict. Emmett and Edward protested immediately, but he pursed his lips, holding up his hand to silence them. The two stopped talking. I smirked. I found it funny how Carlisle could control all of them when he wanted to.

He continued talking as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I'm not telling you to forgo your instincts. Trust your instincts, but be careful. Do not risk exposure. Be on alert around James. Bella, try not to be around him more than you have to," he told me.

I shrugged. "I'm supposed to be the one helping him if he's falling behind in his school work," I informed my father. "I have to be around him - Mr. McIntire's orders."

Carlisle frowned. "I'll see what I can do about that," he murmured, almost to himself. "In the meantime, just be careful. Since he has done nothing yet, we don't have to take measures. If you see anything that's relevant or suspicious, please let us know, Alice."

She nodded her head, taking Jasper's hand as she stood up. The two disappeared up the stairs. Emmett and Rosalie did the same. I stayed on the couch next to Edward. Esme and Carlisle sat still on the loveseat.

"Love, your heart is pounding much too fast," Edward whispered to me, rubbing soothing circles on my back. "Calm down."

My gaze snapped to him. "Calm down?" I whispered. "Edward, you just told me that James is some sort of freakish empty vessel, and he might be a potential threat. And then you tell me that we have to be alert around him. And then you ask me to calm down? How am I suppose to do that!?"

Esme appeared on my left, wrapping her arms around me as well. She kissed my hair, and rested her chin on my shoulder. "Bella, darling, please don't worry. We will take good care of you," she assured me. "I promise. Nothing will happen to you."

I bit my lip. "What about you? And everyone else?" I argued. I didn't want anyone to be in trouble, either.

Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "Bella, he's a human. He really couldn't hurt us if he tried," he told me. Smiling at Esme, he stood up and scooped me into his arms.

I gasped in surprise. "Edward, I can walk!" I said, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

He grinned at me, making my heart skip a beat. "Yes, I know," he said, amused at my heart's reaction. "But this is more fun, love."

He carried me bridal style to his room, laying me down on his black couch and turning on the stereo. I smiled as one of his newer compositions filled the room. I loved listening to his music. My favorite was my lullaby, of course, but he knew better than to play it all the time. I normally fell asleep listening to it. It was just so peaceful.

He laid next to me, his fingers tracing my collarbone, tickling my skin. I broke into a huge smile, stifling my giggles. He grinned impishly and leaned closer.

We started right where we had left off when Emmett had burst into my room earlier.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

I really hated humans.

They follow us everywhere. Their scents tempted us, risking us to exposure without even knowing. They're nosy and they think they're better than the next person.

The females were envious and the men were lustful. Not that I minded that, but it could still be annoying.

They bring trouble just by being around us.

And now this possibly psychopathic James guy is hanging around us just because some stupid human teacher decided that it was good punishment to pair him up with Bella.

Did I mention I hated humans?

We have to be on alert around James because he's got some crazy obsession with my sister.

Hmm. '_Sister_'doesn't seem too bad. It's not the same as '_daughter_' but it'll do. I think.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I think we should just rid of him before anything actually happens. We couldn't possibly take that risk.

Not only was there a chance of exposure, Bella could get hurt. I don't understand why Carlisle, Esme and Edward would even take that chance. They wanted to protect her even more than I did. I don't understand how they could just sit by and watch it all unfold.

They said that it was because there's a chance we were being paranoid. Come on! All of us? At the same time? About the same human? There was no way!

The very fact that he was an empty vessel itself raised questions.

Not to mention the fact that I kept thinking I'd met him somewhere. It was just a glimpse, a very short glimpse, but I saw him. I just couldn't put my finger on 'where' and 'when'.

I sighed. This was getting ridiculous. When I had suggested just killing the boy and hiding his body in the forest somewhere, Esme had glared at me until I backed down.

I sank on the bed, the fluffy white robe I had on barely grazing my knee. Emmett, wearing his pajama pants, climbed in next to me, his hair still wet from the shower we had just taken. He grinned widely at me, arms encasing me.

I sighed, snuggling into his chest. I felt his lips on the top of my head and closed my eyes. "Do you think we'll be okay?" I asked him, looking up to look into his topaz eyes.

Sometimes I look into his gorgeous eyes but all I see was brown. It was why I loved Bella from the moment I met her. She was the female version of Henry, and the little human girl Emmett and I could have had if circumstances were different.

He knew what I was thinking about. Once he'd told me that I get this faraway look in my eyes whenever I thought of what could have been. He'd told me it killed him seeing me like that. I blinked, trying to regain my composure.

Emmett had seen enough, though. Reaching out, he pressed his lips to mine with a hungry passion. I returned it fervently. The physicality of our relationship was more than just lust - desperate, hungry kisses like these told me that Emmett loved me, that he would do anything for me, that he wished that he and I could have that life I dreamt of so often.

These kisses told me how lucky I was to have a man like him by my side.

He pulled back and gave me a sad smile. He didn't say anything about it, though, for which I was thankful. "Yes," he said finally. "I think we'll be okay." I couldn't help but think that he wasn't just referring to my spoken question.

I wrapped my arm around his waist. "We really have to keep an eye out for this James guy. I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him somewhere," I said, frowning as I remembered the unsettling feeling. "I just can't remember!"

I groaned in annoyance and placed a hand over my eyes. I wished I could remember. I wished I could just pinpoint exactly where I'd seen him, maybe connect him to some heinous crime and just get rid of him already.

I didn't want to take the chance when it was Bella's life on the line. Edward would call it being overprotective over her, but he was no better. I wasn't a mind-reader or an empath, but I knew as well as anyone that he was lying beside Bella right now, pondering the different ways to behead James if he did anything to her.

Emmett growled a little. I looked at him in surprise, my hand falling to my lap. "I swear, if he does anything to you or Belly-Bean, I'll kill him," he swore solemnly.

I kissed his cheek, in awe of his protective nature. He might be a big goof but his heart was so big, so sincere…I didn't know what I did to deserve him.

I chuckled as I heard the nickname he used. "Not unless Bella kills you for calling her Belly-Bean still," I joked.

Emmett cracked a grin at that. Then he grabbed me by the shoulders and pinned me to the bed. "What do you say to an encore to that shower scene, Mrs. McCarty Cullen?" he whispered in my ear.

I felt a purr building up in my chest as I raked my nails down his bare back. "I say hell yeah," I whispered back, using one of his infamous phrases.

He laughed out loud, then pulled us under the covers.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

I winced as I could not only hear what was going on in Emmett's and Rosalie's room, but feel it as well. I turned up the television, trying to drown out the sounds and the emotions - unsuccessfully, might I add - by listening to the sounds of exploding demons on Charmed.

Alice bounced around the room, flipping through outfits for tomorrow. She was planning everyone's clothes, of course. One of the things about her that I could never understand but love just the same.

She hummed the tune to a Hilary Duff song, probably just to annoy Edward. Poor guy. As if he needed even more sources of disturbance. While I, the empath, could feel everything going on in the room next door, I could easily just grab Alice when it gets too much and relieve myself.

Edward, the mind-reader, could do no such thing. He wanted to wait, apparently. I didn't think he and Bella were doing such very good jobs - they get closer and closer to spontaneous combustion each and every time they stopped themselves.

Of course, it would be extremely embarrassing - especially for Bella, the queen of blushing, - to have sex for the first time in a houseful of vampires, two of whom were her own parents. She wouldn't be able to look any of us in the eyes for a decade, no doubt.

Alice suddenly pounced on me. I dropped the remote to the floor in surprise and looked up at her. She grinned, bending down to kiss me gently. "Where've you been?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I've been calling for you for an hour!"

I raised an eyebrow at her over exaggeration and she rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

I chuckled. "I was just thinking how unfortunate our dear brother is," I told her. She looked puzzled at this. "Not to be able to do this," I reached up and kissed her thoroughly.

Alice giggled as she understood my words. "Well, I pity Bella," she said, climbing off of me. At least, she attempted to. I pulled her flush against me, not wanting to let her go. "I think she'll seduce him before they get hitched, anyway."

I snorted. That seemed typical of Bella, really. She had raging hormones right now. Along with the tremendous amount of emotions she felt at realizing she was in love with Edward, he had no chance.

I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to abstain from being with their mate, though. Edward must either be crazy or too much of a gentleman. Even I took Alice before our wedding. Neither one of us regretted that.

Maybe he was just trying to make things as normal for her as possible. The men these days were complete monsters when it came to sex, but I imagined he was making it like in the 1900s. He was giving her a normal time before she had to be changed.

I didn't see how 'normal' was going to be possible with the trouble that manages to find us every few days. Even humans, it seemed, were a danger to us.

I really couldn't stop worrying about James. I had never felt anything like that. He was devoid of emotions. I knew he was human, he was just empty. What could have happened to him that had made him so lifeless?

More importantly, what had he turned into? Was he dangerous? Was he going to hurt my sister? Was he going to try anything?

I was so frustrated at not knowing the answers. I knew this was what Alice was feeling - she was so used to looking into the future and knowing exactly what would happen. Nothing had surprised her for over a century. This was completely knew territory for her.

I empathized with her. Not only did I feel that frustration from her, I felt it for myself, too. I just hated waiting around.

In all my existence, I had been plenty of things. A father's son, a blood crazed vampire, a lover, a brother, a protector. When she was younger, I had been Bella's idol. She looked up to me like some sort of savior - a title I didn't deserve.

But first and foremost, I had always been a military man.

It was second nature for me to make plans, strategize, fight and conquer. It was so unnatural for me to sit still and wait for something to happen.

The worst was, I had no clue how this was going to pan out. I didn't even have the slightest hint. As a soldier, I looked at things from all angles. It was why Maria chose me to be second in command. I planned and mapped out everything until my army was impenetrable.

Now, just waiting in silence, I had never felt so vulnerable.

For the first time in a long time, I was so afraid. This human could never harm my Alice or any of my family - with one very glaring exception.

I couldn't even begin to think of what would happen if we were to lose Bella. She was our sister, our daughter and Edward's lover.

My God, to think that this shy human girl had brought out the best and the worst of us…If someone had told me this twenty years ago, I would have been hyperventilating from laughing so hard.

I couldn't lose my sister. I'd spent the past five years staying away from her, never coming remotely close. I was too scared that I might hurt her. She was a young woman now, her blood so potent…

She was, apparently, Edward's singer. It was harder on him that it was on me. He had been so attuned to her blood, though. It still got to him, but it was bearable. Truthfully, I think he placed his bloodlust into plain lust to keep himself from ripping out her throat.

My point was, five years had gone by and I'd stayed away from her as much as I could stand. She was my sister. I missed her. I missed staying around her, being with her, joking around with her. She was the only person in the house I could discuss literature and art without being driven completely out of my mind. She astounded me with her intelligence and her brilliance.

She was beautiful, inside and out.

I missed spending time with her. Selfish as it was, I couldn't wait for her human time to be up. I couldn't wait until I get to spend time with her again. She was my sister. I'd never had that, not fully.

Rosalie was great and all, but our relationship was never truly strong. Not the way Bella's and my relationship was.

When she was a vampire, we could do the things we used to do again. We could even hunt together. I knew it was going to be hard on her the first few years of this existence, but she was a strong person. I knew she would get through it, especially with the support of our entire family.

So this James person…He wasn't going to take my sister away. Our entire family needed her. We loved her beyond reason.

I didn't know what his deal was. I didn't know why he acted so strangely or why he was pretty much an empty vessel. The fact was, he just chose the wrong family to mess with.

******************************************************************************

_James' POV_

I took the pills in my hand, swallowing and wincing. I threw the bottle, not even flinching as it hit the wall.

I hated the damn pills. I had already taken enough of them. I was all better. Really. Stupid doctors. If it weren't for my headaches, I'd never take 'em.

I stood over the kitchen counter and dragged the pointed tip of the knife along the pale features of the boy next to my love.

Who did he think he was? Touching her? Hugging her? Kissing her?

The pointed tip scratched the pale features. I kept at it, my anger swelling in me. I completely defaced him. When his face was nothing more than a collection of white scratches, I placed the knife next to it. I picked up the scissors and cut off the faceless thing. I left only the picture of my true love.

Bella.

She wasn't Isabella Hale. She wasn't anyone but just Bella.

She was mine.

I flipped the sole picture of her, jagged edged because of the part I'd cut out, and smeared glue on the back. Picking it up, I went over to the bare wall in the living room. I'd placed bulletin boards, one after another, up on the wall of the rented apartment I lived in. Half the wall was filled with pictures of my Bella.

I found an empty spot between the picture of her leaving home for work, and the one where she was wearing that stupid vest at her workplace. Oh, she was so beautiful.

I had to fill up every inch of this wall. I didn't want to see one tiny spot of brown wall. I sighed as I ran my finger down her blushing cheek. God, she blushed at everything.

I couldn't wait until we could be together.

I knew she felt it, too. That love we have. That instant connection. We had that since the moment we'd met. She was just so shy. So afraid of admitting it.

That Cullen boy was probably threatening her. He was in the way. She didn't really love him. She loved _me_.

I knew that for a fact.

I sat down on the sofa and leaned forward, grabbing the partially wrapped package on the coffee table. I was going to shower her with gifts. She was going to see that she belonged to me.

She was going to be with me, no one else.

I remembered the first time I'd met her. We'd fallen in love with each other at first sight.

_It was another rainy day in New York. I wasn't used to so many cloudy days. There was a cloudy spell and the mood was so glum._

_I walked into my favorite café in Nolita. The place was nice, friendly. No one suspected anything that was happening in my two-bedroom apartment a few blocks away._

_I saw her walk in with two other women, but I barely glanced at her. She was so…Beautiful, so warm. She stumbled a little as she made her way to an empty table, and the blonde on her right caught her before she fell._

_With a little adorable smile, and a sweet blush, she thanked her friend and sat down. She was the only one who opened the menu. Her big, brown eyes scanned the menu quickly as a waiter approached._

_I saw his eyes rake appreciatively over her and felt my fists clenching in anger. No one would look at her that way. No one. Only me._

_I had fallen for her so hard. In just three seconds, she had walked into this café and brighten up a gloomy day. She was so…Indescribable._

_I had to have her._

_I watched her lips move as she ordered, and watched as she leaned on her elbows towards the other two girls. She whispered something to them, the black haired one nodding her head at whatever my beautiful love was saying, and then all three burst out laughing._

_Oh, God, that laugh!_

_I was overcome with the overpowering urge to grab her and hold her in my arms. I made a step towards her before realizing I was in a crowded café. I couldn't take her with everyone watching._

_I stared at her, memorizing her every detail. I took the booth closest to her table, trying to catch little snippets of her conversation._

_She didn't talk much but when she did, it was enough to send me into a frenzy. Finally she said something about not wanting to shop and one of the women she was with said her name, "Isabella Hale! You will enjoy this shopping spree, alright? It's bad enough that you won't let me take you out to the mall in Forks-"_

"_-Not that it's stopped you," this angel replied._

"_-You will at least pretend you like it on our vacation!"_

_Isabella Hale from Forks, Washington. I'd finished up my work in NYC, and took the first plane to Forks after she had left. Of course, she went to Barcelona first, but I lost sight of her. I couldn't track her down and she wasn't in any of the hotels I'd went to look for her in._

_Finally, that fateful night in Forks, I found her. It was a Saturday, two days away from the re-opening of school._

_I had stayed all day at the airport for weeks, trying to see if she had arrived yet. She and her family landed during nightfall. I only had eyes for her._

_No one noticed me, gazing at her from across the lot. She got into a silver Volvo, a man by her side. I stiffened as I watched them kiss._

_No one should have that privilege except for me. She should be kissing me._

_That was the day I started plotting his murder._

_I never wanted to hurt anyone, honest. But what was I supposed to do when he was touching the love of my life? I couldn't allow that._

_I followed her everywhere. I'd done this before - following people. No one even noticed I was there. I never went near her house, though. I stayed some distance, always hiding as I watched the big white mansion. There were too many people there in such an enclosed space. I couldn't risk being seen._

_I didn't want to scare away my love._

_I followed her for months, seeing her go to school, go home, get a job…I watched every possible second. She never even knew I was there._

_She never even knew I existed._

_So I decided to make myself known. I followed her into a grocery store when she was alone one night. She had just gotten home from Angela's house. I wished she wouldn't stay out of my sight for so long. I hated it._

_I hated Angela for being able to be so close to her while I had to stay at a distance._

_But that would all change, I knew it._

_She was talking on the phone. I heard her say his name. Edward. Instantly, I felt the urge to take her phone, throw it across the room and crush her to me. But I couldn't do that in a room full of people._

_Instead, I walked right in front of her, making her crash into me. She looked up with her mouth hanging open. She blushed so beautifully and said, "I'm really sorry!" She sounded so flustered, it almost made me grin._

"_It's alright," I answered her, studying her with intense scrutiny. I was probably scaring her, but I couldn't help myself. This was the first time I had been this close to her. This was the first time I had had any form of contact with her. It was overwhelming._

_She blushed harder, then moved her cart. She was starting to move away from me. _No!_ My mind screamed. _You can't do that!

_I grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her. I forced myself to gentle my grip. When she looked at me, though, she didn't look fearful. She looked curious._

_Ah. She loved me, too._

"_I'm James," I introduced myself. Surely she wanted to know the name of the man who was going to love her forever._

_She took my hand and shook it steadily. "Bella," she offered. She gave me a small wave and headed in the opposite direction. I heard her say his name once more as she resumed her phone call with him._

_I followed her again, and watched her. She was alone the whole night. I followed her to her house, and watched her lift the grocery bags into the house._

_It was such a dark night and her house was definitely secluded, but she didn't seem the least bit scared. Such a brave little one._

_I was going to have a lot of fun with her._

_I went a little closer that night. I noticed her entire family wasn't home. I watched her through the windows - the house had a lot of those._

_She watched TV, talked to Edward again, did her homework and went to sleep. I watched her head up the stairs, anger coursing through me that I'd have to leave her be._

_I saw a ladder and opportunity struck. I had to be closer to her. I grabbed hold of the ladder and climbed up to her balcony._

_How ironic, were I to be her Romeo and she my Juliet. I chuckled to myself as I climbed into her bedroom, her window wide open. Was she waiting for me?_

_I found her sleeping peacefully in her bed. I ached to touch her, but I feared she might wake up. Instead, I took pictures. I studied her carefully and took in the intoxicating smell of her shampoo._

_Finally I couldn't take it. I reached out and ran a finger down her bare arm. She shifted._

_I stiffened then ran for the window. I was revving up my engine as quietly as I could and speeding off when I saw the light in her bedroom flicker._

I knew she had felt me. She loved me so much she could even feel me in her sleep. I knew she wanted to be with me.

_Edward _was merely an obstacle. Nothing I couldn't handle. He was ordinary - I could take him out, no problem.

I went back to wrapping up Bella's present. I stuck a bow to it, and placed the card in the envelope. I admired my work as I sat back on the couch, humming a little nursery rhyme my mother had sang to me when I was a child. I chuckled to myself as I remember dear old ma.

I wondered if they had found her yet.

______________________________________________________________________________

_So to clear up some questions:_

_Yes, James is merely human. His mind is impenetrable to Edward as a human because I just think it's not possible for Bella to be the only human in the entire world with a private mind. It might have something to do with his meds, it might have something to do with the fact that he has so many delusions that it's clouding his mind, it might be anything. I hope to explain further in future chapters._

_His blood is 'thinner' because of the meds. It makes it less appealing to vampires, even Jasper._

_James isn't scared or intimidated by the vampires because he's so far gone into his delusions. He believes them nothing but humans. He's deluded himself into thinking that he could take them out to do whatever it is he's planning for Bella._

_This theory might seem a little shaky right now, but I think that we're underestimating humans. They might not be as strong, as powerful and as devastatingly beautiful as the vampires we wish to know and love, but they're still something. Bella is an extraordinary human, but she can't be the only one. And they can't all be good._

_As you can see, James wasn't the one who grabbed Bella in the club in NYC. Yes, there apparently are men who get drunk and grab the nearest woman they see. It's sad. And disgusting, when you're the one they go for - trust me, NOT a pleasant feeling._

_P.S. I'm sorry I'm updating so late recently. I have a week of holidays so I promise to update as fast as I can._

_Please review and tell me if you like, love or hate it. And what do you think of James' POV?? I'm planning on a few more of those because it would explain things better - a little background, if you will, and the parts where no one else could explain. It's not as if Edward or Jasper could provide any insight._

_If any of you are wondering why Alice couldn't see him stalking Bella, she's having trouble seeing him, as well. I'll explain that in future chapters. His scent is weak so no one would have smelled him following Bella around._

_Juliet._


	46. Realization

_**A/N:**__ Okay, let me just start off by saying that I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone with the last chapter. The fluff and all is pretty much overdone in a few of the previous chapters and it's back to actual plot, so there's not much of a laugh when it comes to James. I promise to add in humor 'cuz there's our beloved Emmett in there and it's interesting to see everyone's reactions and all. But just like in Twilight when James and Victoria were pursuing Bella, it's really not funny, but serious. James is meant to be creepy and freak you out._

_To answer one of the most repeated questions - why can't the vamps smell James or hear him entering Bella's room? If you remember correctly, that night (when they met in the grocery store), every single Cullen was out hunting at a new hunting ground. They can't smell him because they came home the next night and his scent was already too faint to begin with. Edward said that it was as if he were a hundred miles away instead of right beside him. What are the chances that they could smell James one night after he was in her room?_

_**Disclaimer:**__ SM owns it all._

_**POVs:**__ Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett_

______________________________________________________________________________

_Edward's POV_

I traced Bella's collarbone lightly with a finger, humming her lullaby as I did so. Bella shifted so that her face was pressed into my chest, her fingers grasping at my shirt. I felt her chest heave against my body as she took in my scent.

I smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her snug to me. Bella scooted up a little so that her head rested right under my chin. She kissed my throat a few times, and then succumbed to slumber.

I continued humming the lullaby until her breathing evened out and her fingers slacked on my shirt.

I gazed down at this amazing woman I could call my own. I couldn't believe that Bella and I were finally together. Even after all of this time…It just seemed so unbelievable. Every time I kissed her or held her, I kept thinking that this was some bizarre dream that I was bound to wake up from at some point.

Then she would smile at me and all coherent thought would fly out the window.

She was so young, just seventeen years old. I knew that she had made the deal and that she didn't regret it one bit, but I was sad that she couldn't fully live out her human life.

Bella had told me, time and again, that she didn't want that. She'd rather be a monster like me than spend forever without us, without me.

Again, I had to think back and wonder what I ever did to warrant an angel like her in my life.

The fact was that Bella was going to be a vampire just like me in less than a year. We had so little time left to enjoy her humanity. We had all taken advantage of that recently, more so than ever.

Emmett and Jasper took Bella out to complete as many inane tasks on her list as possible. Jasper went along whenever he felt like he could handle it. I knew he was still cautious about it, especially since Emmett was bound to coax Bella into doing things that were dangerous - like skydiving, for instance.

Alice, Rosalie and Esme gave Bella all the woman experiences, such as taking her to spas and getting her prepped up for dates with me.

I loved doing that. It made me feel human to enjoy time with her like that. I knew it made Bella self-conscious when I would take her to a restaurant and she would be the only one eating. I knew she also felt guilty, often saying how sorry she was for boring me by spending time eating.

Ludicrous.

I loved watching her eat - who knew if she would remember the experience? I didn't want to ever forget it.

The thing was, there was one human experience I wanted her to have, but I wasn't sure if she would allow me the honor. Alice had told me once that Bella would reject me a few times before accepting my proposal. She never told me when or how or even why.

I had been alone for so long. When Bella came into my life, I was so blinded by the light suddenly shining down on me. I had never felt so happy before in my life. I had never loved anyone as much as I loved her.

Even as a child, she captivated me. Not the way she captivated me now, of course, but she had always felt like missing piece of myself. She had always felt like the soul I had lost. I could never explain the inexplicable bond we shared.

I understood now that it simply meant she and I were soul mates.

Thinking back, it made sense somehow. What if it was my destiny to be a vampire? If I hadn't gotten the flu in 1918, I wouldn't have been changed and I wouldn't have existed to this day. I wouldn't have met Bella.

Perhaps I would have married someone, but I doubted it. My mind was set on being a soldier. I would have left for war. Would I have died? Maybe. Would I have came back and married a woman to make my mother happy? Maybe.

But it wouldn't have been true love.

My true love wouldn't have been born until about ninety years later. Maybe it was destiny that I'd gotten ill and Carlisle had found me.

Maybe it was our destiny to meet.

Whatever it was, I wanted to claim her as mine. I wanted to marry her, see her blushing form as she walked down the aisle towards me in a beautiful white gown, carrying a bouquet of flowers in her hands and our entire future together in her heart.

I needed to be with her, to call her Mrs. Edward Cullen so that everyone would know she was mine and no one else's and to put a ring on her finger.

I had my mother's ring with me. Elizabeth Masen.

I didn't remember much about my human life, but I remembered my mother. I knew she had the same green eyes as me, and that she had my smile. I knew she loved to cook and that she had the gentlest touch.

I knew she would love Bella if she were here.

Carlisle took my mother's ring from her when she'd passed, giving it to me years later when I was in control of my newborn lust. As saddened as I was to think of her gone, I'd been waiting to put the ring on that special someone's finger, especially when I saw Carlisle and Esme together.

Decades flew by and more joined our family. We passed by so many towns, visited many covens and chanced upon many beautiful women. None caught my eye, human or otherwise.

Then came Bella.

She stepped into my darkened world and lit it up so brightly, I failed to recognize it. As a child, I thought nothing more of our relationship than merely platonic. I could never name our bond, of course, other than 'best friends'. I loved that idea. The fact that she could trust me so completely, so innocently…It wiped out the memories of the horrors I'd committed, even if for just a moment.

Her blatant trust in me shocked me and made me wonder why I even deserved it, but it made me feel…Happy. Complete. Content.

For ten years, she was the only thing that mattered. I wanted to keep her safe, protect her, and never let her go.

When the Volturi showed up and Bella had struck a deal with them, I didn't know whether to cry or praise the Lord that I would never have to let her go. If she were to remain human forever, I'd have to let her marry some man and leave our family. I didn't know if any of us could take that.

I didn't know if I could stand to lose my best friend.

Then time progressed and Bella grew up. She became the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid my eyes upon.

When we'd professed our love to one another…I'd almost died all over again. I would have had a heart attack if I were human.

I'd never been happier, to be honest. I couldn't remember being this close to nirvana.

But I wanted her as my wife. I wanted to see her in a wedding gown. I wanted to give her a married life. I would never be able to grant her children, and I would forever regret that, but I still wanted her to be my wife.

I stroked her cheek lovingly once and Bella sighed, a slight smile gracing her lips. I loved these simple moments. Whenever I kissed her forehead or touch her cheek or stroke her hair when she was sleeping, she would respond somehow as if she felt me.

I kissed her forehead gently and extricated myself from her. Immediately, she frowned into her pillow. "I'll be right back, love," I whispered to her sleeping form.

I went out of the room silently and went to Carlisle's office. I knocked gently on the door, a nervous wreck. Carlisle was, by all means, Bella's father. I would never dream of proposing to her without even asking for his permission.

I knew it might seem sudden to ask for her hand, but I'd been toying with the idea for some time now. I knew that I had to wait until she was older, but I wanted us to wed before she was changed.

Why shouldn't we wed, though? We both loved each other deeply. We both wanted to spend eternity together. We both planned on staying together forever.

This was just another step in our relationship. A very big, important step, nonetheless.

"Come in."

I sucked in a deep breath and entered. Carlisle was sitting behind his desk, looking through some old medical journals of his. He looked up and smiled at me, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. Bella had joked once about how his desk reminded her of a college dean's office.

I sat in one of the chairs and fiddled with my hands nervously. Subconsciously, I patted the pocket of my pants where the square jewelry box was.

Alice had seen me asking Carlisle for Bella's hand for some time now - she had tackled me in a hug mid-hunt a few weeks ago.

Carlisle frowned as he noticed my anxiety. "What is it, Edward?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

I stared into the topaz eyes of the man who had saved my life all those years ago. I knew he approved of my relationship with Bella and he even supported it but would he consider this going too far? Would he think Bella to be too young? I knew most people wouldn't marry at the age of seventeen.

I took in another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Carlisle," I begun. "I love Bella very much."

He gave me an odd look. "I already know that, Edward," he reminded me.

I cracked a small smile. "Yes," I agreed. "I meant to say…She means everything to me. You know I would do everything in my power to protect her and that I would never hurt her. I…I'd like to ask you for her hand, Carlisle," I said quietly, not breaking eye contact with him.

Carlisle was silent for the longest time possible. I heard Alice, Jasper and Esme gasp from different parts of the house. Carlisle ignored that and continued to gaze at me unblinkingly. His topaz eyes revealed nothing. His thoughts were blocked from me.

Finally, when I thought I would just fall on my knees and beg him for her hand, he broke into a brilliant smile. "Edward…I couldn't be happier," he chuckled.

The shock must have registered on my face because he laughed harder. "Honestly, Edward. I knew where this was going. You have probably thought of marrying her the moment the two of you became a couple."

I had to admit that was true. At least in the back of my head, I had always had the wedding march on repeat every time I saw Bella since that day in the meadow.

I grinned at Carlisle, and uttered my gratitude over and over again. He laughed, shaking his head. I stood up when he did and embraced him. "Edward, she's my daughter and I will personally see to it that you never harm her," he told me seriously.

His eyes twinkled with the happiness he felt. "But you are my son, as well. I couldn't be happier. Really, Edward, this is wonderful news."

I felt myself sigh in relief at his words. I hugged him back fiercely. "Thank you, Carlisle," I said once more, unable to keep the grin from my face. From the thoughts of my family, I knew they were bursting to come into the office. "I don't know what her reply will be, though."

Carlisle frowned at this. _What do you mean, Edward? Do you doubt she'll marry you? Honestly, that girl is head over heels in love with you. I don't see why she would refuse._ He opened his mouth to give me a verbal encouragement.

Before he could say anything, Alice burst in. Both of us turned to look at her smiling form. "I know what she'll say!" she squealed, coming up to me to wrap her arms around me. Her head reached just above my middle. I started to laugh until she continued. "It's a big fat no!"

I scowled at her. "Would you mind telling me why you're so happy about that?" I sulked.

She giggled, slapping my arm. "Don't be such a moody person, Edward. Bella's just worried. Insecure, even," she said. Her face took on a thoughtful look. "What kind of gown do you think she would want?"

I was completely confused. First she came in all excited, happy that I was going to propose to Bella. Then she told me that Bella would turn me down. _Then _she was going through wedding details?

Her mind wasn't helping me comprehend anything, either. It was too full of 'I told you so' and wedding plans.

I held out a hand to stop her excited chit-chat. Jasper and Esme had made their way into the room and were silently watching us. "Alice," I said slowly. "I don't understand."

She shot me a look. "You don't have to be involved in the details, Edward. You're the guy. Just suck it up and show up. I'd say 'shave', but it's a waste of time in this case…"

I raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled. "I meant about her turning me down," I said quietly, my smile slipping off my face.

Alice sighed. "Did you forget what I told you a while ago? She's going to say no, but you have to persuade her to say yes," she told me, talking slowly as if I were but a child.

"Why do I need to persuade her to marry me?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. Why would an angel like Bella want to marry a demon like me? She could have any man she desired. She shouldn't have to say 'yes' to me.

Alice probably noticed my mood. She knew me too well. She understood what my mind was thinking. "Edward!" she chided. "Don't think like that!"

I cracked a small, humorless smile. "I thought I was supposed to be the mind-reader, Alice," I joked lightly.

She ignored my futile attempt at humor. "You know she loves you," she soothed. "Bella's just never thought of herself as a marrying type. Not to mention the fact that she's only seventeen… It's hard for her to picture it. You'll need to convince her, tell her she's the only one, remind her of the future you want to share with her," she told me.

She smiled, reaching up to hug me again. "Trust me, Edward. Bella wants this. She's just afraid."

I bit my lip. Her thoughts had gone from wedding details to reciting the Star Spangled Banner in Arabic. "I don't suppose you'll tell me what she's so afraid of?" I asked skeptically.

Alice laughed. "Of course not, big brother. You'll have to ask her yourself."

I smiled my gratitude at her. Even though this conversation had left me even more confused than ever, I was still grateful for her advice. I just hoped that it would cushion the blow a little when Bella would turn me down.

Esme came forward and wrapped her arms around me. "Congratulations, my son," she whispered, pulling back slightly to cup my face in her gentle hands.

If I could have, I would have blushed at the adoration I saw in her eyes and the love I heard in her thoughts. "Stop it, mom. You're making me blush," I joked.

She laughed freely, and then kissed my forehead. "You've made me so happy, Edward," she said quietly, hugging me again. _I know it will be hard when she says no, but have faith, Edward. She's fated to be with you. I can't wait for the wedding, Edward. My son and daughter, married!_

I chuckled, patting her back. "Don't get too excited, Esme," I said, my voice light. "I don't know how long it will take for her to say yes."

Alice had started bouncing on her feet again, obviously having already seen the answer to that. She was still blocking me from her thoughts, so I supposed I'd have to rely on my instincts.

Jasper came forward, one hand on Alice's shoulder to calm her down and one hand extended towards me. I took it and shook his hand. "This is very exciting news," he said in his calm voice. "You do understand that once she says yes, Emmett and I will have to give you the big brother talk?"

I grinned widely at him. "I'd gladly go through that as long as she says yes," I said truthfully.

Esme squeezed me shoulder as she stood next to Carlisle. "When are you planning on asking her, son?" she asked curiously.

I snuck a look at Carlisle and Esme. "I was hoping to ask her as soon as possible…" I said meekly. "I just wanted to marry her when she's still a human," I explained.

When neither of them said anything, I continued with my explanation. I was much too afraid to look at them or hear their thoughts. "I just thought it would be a wonderful human experience, for her and me both. It's something I wish to see…It would be different once she's changed. I would love her just the same, of course, but-"

Esme threw her head back and laughed while Carlisle chuckled, clapping me on the back. "We understand, son," he said gently. "We wish you all the best," he added, half-jokingly.

I smiled at all four of them. I was glad that they approved so eagerly. I was afraid that I'd have to go down on my knees and beg Carlisle and Esme to give me permission to propose and marry Bella.

I knew she was young, but I just couldn't wait any longer…Not to mention the fact that I truly wanted to see my Mrs. Edward Cullen a blushing bride as she walked down the aisle towards me.

******************************************************************************

_Emmett's POV_

I loved bears. I loved the fight - especially when they're irritable. I loved the violence and the intensity of the chase.

I loved playing video games non-stop without needing to blink or eat or go to the bathroom.

I loved wrestling my brothers.

Hell, I loved a lot of things about being a vampire.

But the one thing I loved the most was the fact that we couldn't sleep. That way, Rose and I could spend all night just rolling in the hay, for a lack of a better euphemism.

The fact that we never get tired is also another bonus.

I pulled Rose up and crashed my mouth to hers for what seemed like the thousandth time tonight. Man, I loved this woman. Who would've thought that I would end up with someone like her?

I'd never scored with a woman as beautiful or as talented as her. I didn't remember much of my human life, but I knew that none of them women I saw as a mortal ever compared to the beauty that was Rosalie.

I imagined her as a human sometimes. I imagined her to have blue eyes, maybe. Or green. Most probably blue, cuz she's blonde and all. I imagined her with a pale flush - she could blush like Bella, only less often cuz that girl blushes at everything. I imagined her with warm skin and a tan, maybe.

And damn, she was gorgeous.

I'd never seen her as a mortal, but she must have been so goddamn beautiful to turn out to be practically a Goddess.

I could vaguely hear Edward talking to Carlisle somewhere in the house, something about Bella and asking for her hand…I supposed I should focus on that even for just a little, but I was much too preoccupied.

Oh, well. I'd just ask Jazz in the morning.

Suddenly, Rosalie's eyes snapped open and she shoved me off of her. I blinked in surprise. "Rose, what the hell?" I asked, confused.

She wasn't paying attention to me. Instead, she had sat upright, a dazed look on her face. I bit my lip and waved my hand in front of her face warily. She knocked my hand away and glared at me. I stifled a laugh - that was the Rose I knew and loved.

She gasped suddenly and bolted out of bed. Scrambling around the room, she hastily picked up her clothes and threw them on.

"Guys!" she screamed. She turned to me and said, "Put on your clothes and come downstairs - I remember where I saw James!"

All traces of laughter left my features as I scowled at the name. James. The dude that was on my bad side from the moment Alice saw the first vision of him.

I nodded at Rose and moved swiftly. She was already out of our room, getting the others to come down as quietly as she could without waking Bella.

I met them downstairs and took my place next to Rose. No one was sitting down, though. We were much too riled up for that.

Rosalie was waiting for me to begin, but Edward was already growling. He'd probably heard her thoughts already. Alice was upset, enough. Jasper had to hold her up. I guess she saw what Rose had wanted to say.

Geez. There really were no secrets in the Cullen household.

Rosalie started pacing, the way she did whenever she was really nervous about something. I'd only seen her do it a few times, mostly whenever Bella was involved - like the first morning she waited for Bella to wake up in our home.

She took a deep breath and started. "At first I couldn't place him because he was such a distant image. It was like I saw him recently but I couldn't really remember him. Then I kept looking and concentrating because I just couldn't shake the feeling," she said, her hands clenching into fists.

I walked up to her and hugged her tightly. I knew how frustrated she was. I didn't need Jasper's gift to know how my own wife was feeling.

She shot me a grateful look then went back to explaining her sudden epiphany. "Then I went back to looking through our vacation in New York. I saw him there. At a café Bella loved to go to. It was in Nolita…It didn't register at first because we never made contact with him. He was just another face in the crowd. But I know it. He was there. He saw us. He saw her," she said, her voice quivering as she snuggled deeper into my hug.

She was scared for Bella. And she had every right to be.

What, so this James guy actually stalked her? Did he follow her around or something? Why didn't Rose and Alice sense him? Why didn't any of us?

I felt my hands around Rose's waist curl into fists, my anger growing stronger by the minute. I felt an outside source calming me and gave Jasper a thankful nod. That was as far as I would go into showing affection for another man.

Esme had her hand over her heart as she stared at Rose. Carlisle was holding onto her, as well. "What will we do?" she whispered, eyes opened wide as she stared in horror at her family.

Carlisle sighed. "We're going to have to take some precautionary measures. Although we know now that James is stalking Bella, we can't just go up to him and kill him-"

He was met with protests from every direction, including from where I was standing frozen to the spot. He held up a hand to silence us. "But," he continued sharply. "We will have to do something. Regardless of his intentions, I beg of you to remember he is merely human. Let's deal with this the human way."

I grumbled. I would've preferred it if we could just bash the guy to a bloody pulp and make sure he would never come back to life in any way or form. Wouldn't that be a better choice to ensure Bella's safety?

Carlisle turned to Jasper. "I think it's a good idea if you tracked him for a little while? Maybe see if he's got anything on him that could make the humans suspicious of his behavior? We could easily turn him in to the police if we've got proof he's stalking Bella."

Jasper nodded his head, his face stony. He was in full military man mode.

Rosalie struggled against my tight grip and I released her. "I want to go, too!" she called out.

Carlisle bit his lip. "Honey…Maybe it's best if we let Jasper alone go?" he suggested gently. I knew why. Rose would get emotional if there really was evidence of James stalking Bella in his Frankenstein lair.

Rosalie glared at Carlisle, disregarding the fact that he was the head of the family. "I don't care," she said bitingly.

"Rose…" I called out softly, but she ignored me.

She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and continued to stare Carlisle down. "She's become a very important person in my life, Carlisle. I don't care what you think is going to happen, but I'm most certainly not going to ruin the only chance we have of putting this sicko away," she said firmly.

I could see the determination in her gaze. It clearly showed that she was going to go with Jasper, whether Carlisle liked it or not. She just had enough decency in her at this point to actually make it look like she's waiting on Carlisle's response.

He must have seen it, too, because he nodded his head curtly. "Alright," he conceded. "But please be careful. Make sure that you don't alert him to your presence."

Jasper kissed Alice swiftly on the cheek, and Rosalie did the same to me. I hugged her fiercely then let her leave.

Carlisle turned to Edward, who was shaking his head. "I have to do something, Carlisle. I can't just sit here-"

Esme rushed forward to hug her 'firstborn' son. She wrapped her arms around his tall figure and patted his back in a vain attempt to calm him.

Carlisle shook his head at Edward. "You, Edward, I'm going to have to insist on staying behind," he said in a no-nonsense tone. "We both know you won't even bother with an ounce of restraint if it comes to light that James wants to hurt Bella."

Edward sighed, hanging his head. He stared at the floor for what seemed like forever. I had to admit, I hated waiting around, too. This dude was starting to piss me off. Who the hell did he think he was?

What, did he see Bella in NYC and start acting all psycho over her or something? Man, I'm going to pound his head in tomorrow in school. I didn't care if he wasn't some crack-ass criminal. I wasn't going to let some scumbag fantasize about my baby sister that way.

It took a great deal of strength - and Jasper's power - for Eddie and me to even stand our ground and not bash in Newton's head.

Wasn't it enough to have one obsessive guy hanging around Bells? We didn't need another one, either.

Edward groaned, shooting me an almost desperate look. "Emmett, I'm having a hard enough time without having to hear your violent thoughts!" he choked out.

I grinned at him. "Sorry, Ed, but you know you're thinking the same thing I am," I pointed out. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that.

I heard Bella's heartbeat quicken, then the sound of her footsteps coming down the stairs. All five of us turned to look at Bella as she took the stairs slowly, her eyes trained on Edward.

Her eyes were ablaze with determination as she examined his gaunt expression and the worried tension in the air.

Aw, hell.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

I woke up after a night's worth of unsettling dreams, none of which made sense. I was just so scared for my family. I didn't know what James' deal was. No matter how many times Edward told me there was nothing for me to worry about, I knew he was only trying to appease me.

If nothing truly was wrong, the whole family wouldn't be so upset.

I looked at my clock blearily and made out the numbers. Three-thirty in the morning. My sleepy eyes widened. Why on earth had I woken up so early?

I remembered being jolted out of my nightmares by a scream…

Edward wasn't in the room, and I feared the worst. I didn't know if it was one too many horror movies on my part or the unknown human evil that was James, but I grew restless.

I was sure my heartbeat was so loud, it was audible to a vampire in Canada by now. I climbed off the bed and nearly tripped on the rug. I steadied myself and straightened up, making my way towards the door.

I climbed the stairs slowly, trying my hardest not to fall. I kept my eyes on Edward, though. He saw me, his eyes widening, before he tried to compose his features.

By the time I got to him, his face was the epitome of calmness. He had put up the façade I so vehemently detested. I didn't want him to pretend around me. I could feel the tension in the air as if I was Jasper himself. I didn't need Edward to protect me from the slightest thing.

When I reached him, Edward wrapped his arms around me. He was sitting on the arm of the couch, and settled me between his legs.

I placed my arms around his neck and nuzzled his neck. Edward took in a sharp intake of breath and I smiled. I knew how to get certain reactions from him - I'd like to think that we were far along in our relationship for that. Maybe not as far as I'd like it to be, but that was just purely his gentlemanly side.

Or so he said…

"What are you doing up?" I heard him ask. His hands ran through my hair continuously.

I pulled away slightly so I could look into his eyes. I wanted to gauge his reaction to everything I said. He might think that he hid everything so perfectly from me when he wanted to, but I could tell.

I gasped when I saw his eyes. They were pitch black. It wasn't because of his thirst because there were no purple bruises under his eyes. He had just returned from a long hunting trip, as well, so I knew that couldn't be it.

I brushed my fingers along his cheekbones, rejoicing in the feel of his cool skin under my warm fingers. "I heard someone scream," I said distractedly. "Your eyes are black, Edward."

He seemed taken aback by this. Closing his eyes, I felt his hands clenching into fists as he calmed himself down. I leaned in and kissed his cheek, rubbing soothing circles on his back as I comforted him.

Edward opened his eyes, blissfully topaz once more, and gave me a small smile. "You should go back to sleep, Bella," he said smoothly. "We have school tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes. "Not until you tell me what's got you so hot and bothered at four in the morning," I shot back.

"Well…" Emmett begun.

Edward and I both looked at him, shooting him glares. "Don't," we said simultaneously. Emmett simply grinned and held up both his hands. I saw the effort it took for him to joke and the seriousness in his eyes.

Something was definitely up.

I shook my head, staring defiantly at Edward. "You know I hate to be kept out of the loop, Edward. Tell me what's wrong, I can handle it," I insisted.

Edward sighed, drawing me closer to him so that we were pressed against each other. He buried his face in my hair, breathing in deeply. His embrace was possessive, like he didn't want to let me go.

Lifting his head, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Is it so wrong of me to want to protect you, Bella?" he asked, his face tortured.

My eyes softened and I stroked his cheek lovingly. "No, it's not," I said softly. "But I want to know if there's danger lurking around the corner, Edward. I need to know."

I was pleading with him, asking him silently to understand my predicament. It hadn't escaped my notice that Jasper and Rosalie were missing - that alone had almost caused me to hyperventilate in fear. Alice was sitting on the couch, unresponsive as she stared off into space with a frown on her face, muttering things too soft for me to hear every once in a while.

Carlisle and Esme hugged each other, worried looks on their faces. Emmett was pacing.

What was I supposed to think? Did Edward think so little of me as to assume that I wouldn't notice all of these? I might be a human still, but I wasn't stupid. I knew something was wrong and it was scaring me.

I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know if I could help.

I needed to know my family would be alright.

Edward sighed in defeat and I refrained from flashing him a triumphant grin. He took both my hands and kissed my knuckles with gentle lips. "You have to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you, Bella," he said, his normally smooth voice slightly rougher. It was still musical and velvety, though. I suppose it was a vampire trait.

I nodded my head, signaling Edward to continue. He took an unnecessary breath and begun. "Rosalie remembered where she saw James," he said quietly. I heard my breath hitch as I waited for him to reveal this new discovery. "She saw a glimpse of him at the café in Nolita - the one you loved to go to when you were on your trip. She didn't remember at first because there was never a one-on-one contact, just a face in the crowd."

I took deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down. The fact that Edward had his arms around my waist once more as he supported my weight certainly helped. I tried telling myself to relax. I didn't need to prove Edward right when I had so fervently insisted I was able to handle the harsh truth.

Edward cupped my cheek with one hand, his topaz eyes worriedly searching my expression for a sign of a mental breakdown of some sort.

I breathed in slowly and asked, "Is that a coincidence or do you think there's a connection?" I almost didn't want to know the answer.

Edward bit his lip. "We're not sure," he admitted. "Jazz and Rose have gone to track him for a little while, follow him around to see if there was anything tying him to you."

I launched myself at Edward, my grip around his neck tightening as I buried my face against his neck. His hand patted up and down my back and he shushed me, humming my lullaby between comforting words.

I forced the tears away, not wanting to be the damsel in distress once more. So there _might _be someone who had seen me in New York and decided to come all the way to Forks for God knows what reason.

I was probably overreacting. It was just a coincidence. And even if he did come here because he was a crazy person or something, it was because of Rosalie or Alice. It couldn't be me. I was just a plain, ordinary human.

James might not know that my sisters were supernatural, but their beauty spoke for themselves. He wouldn't think twice about me once he'd caught a glimpse of Rose and Alice. Especially Rose.

Once my eyes were dry, I pulled back and nodded at Alice. She was in the same position on the couch. She was sitting crossed-legged, eyes distant, lips pulled into a frown. "What is she doing?" I asked out loud.

Edward was the one to answer me. "Looking for a vision of James to see what he's up to," he said softly, probably trying not to scare me. I kicked myself mentally for acting like that just mere seconds ago. Edward probably won't tell me anything anymore in the future if he thought it would upset me.

I frowned as what he said registered. "Is she getting anything?" I asked, already getting my answer as I looked at her frustrated scowl.

He shook his head. "Not anything of importance."

Alice suddenly shifted her gaze, looking worriedly at Edward. "All I see are brief flashes of what he's up to. I see a present, I see him smiling, I see Bella looking uncomfortable…I see you, Edward, holding Bella to your side protectively. But I can't really see anything else!" she threw her hands up in frustration. "It's like I have a bad connection or something. It's all blurry and doesn't make any sense!"

Esme went over to comfort Alice. "Alice, it's alright. Maybe you wore yourself out thinking too much about this," she soothed.

Alice shook her head. "That's not it," she said dejectedly. "Something's very wrong. Maybe it's the same thing with Edward and Jazz, how they can't read his mind and see his emotions…I see everyone else clearly, but I can't really read his next move!"

I didn't even notice that I was trembling. A week ago, I would have laughed at the prospect of a human endangering me and my family. They were vampires, for God's sake. To think that a human could potentially harm them was laughable. Unthinkable. Ludicrous.

Now, I didn't think I'd ever been this afraid.

No matter what dangers we'd faced, we had always the advantage of Edward's, Jasper's and Alice's gifts. They were the ones who always came through and made sure we won.

James might be human and my family might be a strong coven of vampires, but without any ideas what he was up to, we were pretty much screwed.

Edward scooped me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style. We were in my room before I could even blink. He laid me down on the bed, tucking the comforter around me. "You don't need to hear more of that," he said softly, running a cold finger from my temple down the side of my face.

I held on to his arms tightly. "Lay with me," I pleaded.

He complied, climbing onto the bed. I shook my head, trying to tug the comforter from under him. It didn't do anything, of course, considering he was basically an Adonis-shaped slab of stone.

Edward gave me a stern look. "Bella, you'll get cold!" he chided.

I shook my head. "Please, Edward," I said, pouting slightly. I really needed to feel him with me. I needed his comfort. "Please."

He sighed, but slid under the covers anyway. His strong arms encircled my waist and I snuggled into his chest. I pressed a kiss on his covered chest, breathing in the sweet aroma of his scent. "Don't leave me," I whispered, my voice muffled because I spoke directly into his shirt.

Edward's grip tightened around me. I felt his lips touch the top of my hair. "Never, Bella," he whispered back. "I'll keep you safe with me. Always."

I smiled, my eyes drooping as I fell asleep once more. "Love you," I slurred.

He chuckled. "I love you too, beautiful," he whispered.

I fell asleep to the sweet sound of my lullaby, sung by an angel, my troubles forgotten for a few blissful hours.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

"I don't see why we can't take the M3," I complained.

Jasper, my supposed twin brother to the humans, sighed and shot me a dirty look. "Rosalie, that's the sixteenth time you've complained about this in the last half an hour," he said icily. "Unless you want me to give you a great, big, fat dose of cheeriness, suck it up."

I glared at him. It was always the quiet ones.

We had been tracking the scent of James Hunter, and it had led us around and around the entire town of Forks. We can't seem to find the strongest trail for some reason.

Jasper reasoned that it was because his scent was faint to begin with.

Just what the hell was this guy?

I stomped angrily behind Jasper as he followed yet another trail that led to Newton's Outfitters. "We're not getting anywhere," I said, playing the role of Captain Obvious. "Can't we go home and think of a new plan? One that works? I'm getting cold!"

Jasper raised his eyebrow. "_You're _getting _cold_?" he asked incredulously, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, my boots are just wet, but that's besides the point…"

James' scent completely disappeared inside Newton's Outfitters, so he hadn't gone in at all. There were faint traces of it in the surrounding woods, though.

My eyebrows scrunched together and I shared a worried look with Jazz. "You think he's been here?" I whispered.

Jasper looked around grimly. "Seems that way," he answered. "His scent doesn't go further than a few feet…Maybe he was watching her."

We both flinched at the thought. Some creepy dude Edward, Jazz and Alice couldn't get a read on was watching Bella? "Like a _stalker_?" I asked, my voice getting even lower as anger and panic coursed through me.

Jasper shot me a wave of composure. "Rose, control yourself," he said quietly, almost soothingly. "I need to concentrate."

I nodded my head, bumping into his side to show that I was sorry. I knew we needed to focus on the faint traces of James' scent, but I was simply too freaked out.

How could someone - a human, no less - have been watching Bella without our knowledge? How could the whole family have been blindsided so completely?

He had watched her at work. Did he watch her at home, too? No, that wasn't possible. No matter how faint his scent was, we would have caught it.

Unless he was far enough, of course.

Jasper tilted his head to one side and I nodded. We shot away, following another path. This led to the school. No surprises, there.

What surprised us most was the trail that led back home.

Jasper and I shared a look before dashing off into the house. We used human speed because if James' scent was around, who was to say he wasn't hanging in the bushes or something?

Edward wasn't in the living room, but the rest of the family was. I could smell him coming from upstairs, though, so I figured he was with Bella. I went straight to Emmett and kissed him. I noticed Jazz went to sit by a scowling Alice on the couch.

She had always hated not being able to see anything. She was a wreck when we had that run-in with the werewolves.

I looked around me anxiously. The only heartbeat I could hear was Bella's. I knew James wasn't in the house or peeping in a window somewhere.

The fact that he was close by made me nervous, though.

I was about to tell the others of our latest disturbing revelation but Jasper beat me to it. "His scent was near the house," he said grimly. "It lingered most a few good feet away from the driveway, very near the path leading up to the house. I think he's been here a few times."

Esme gasped, one hand flying instinctively to her mouth. I heard Edward growling somewhere upstairs.

Alice shook her head, leaning into Jasper. She pressed her fingers to her temple. "I don't get it. How can one human be so…Ugh!" she screamed.

Esme hushed her, reminding her that Bella was still asleep upstairs. I sat down on the loveseat, dragging Emmett to sit next to me. "Well, do we kill him tonight or just wait until tomorrow?" I ask bluntly.

Carlisle shot me a reproving look. "I'd rather we deal with this in a more human way, Rosalie," he said in that fatherly way of his.

I snorted. "And which way is that? The one where he gets a restraining order and the privilege to walk free?" I asked sarcastically.

Emmett rubbed my shoulders in an attempt to calm me, but I was past that. "Carlisle, this goes beyond protecting Bella. He's stalking the house, okay? He's watching her every move around us. What if he catches one of us doing something inhuman? What if he already has!?"

The room was silent as I said this. Carlisle was frowning as he considered my words. I took his silence as an advantage and continued with my rant. "Yes, I want to protect Bella. Yes, I want to protect our secret. We've got to act now, Carlisle. I don't like the danger this brings to us," I said in a clipped tone.

He still stood his ground. "Rose, we have no idea if he actually saw anything. From now on, we act human at all times. I appreciate that we've gotten as far as we have in this investigation, but as twisted as he may be, I urge you to remember that he is still human," he said, his voice harder now.

I glared at him, my hands curled into fists on my lap. Emmett was still trying to calm me down. Carlisle took in a deep breath and sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Honestly, Rosalie. We can't afford to take such rash measures. People are bound to be suspicious, especially since the only person he's remotely attached to is Bella."

He looked around at all of us sternly. "We need a plan for this, alright? I won't have any of my children committing murder," he said firmly. I opened my mouth to argue but he looked me right in the eye and said, "Bella wouldn't want it, either."

My mouth snapped shut. Damn, he had me there. Bella nearly threw a fit when Edward was going to kill that sick bastard in Port Angeles, from what I'd heard from Alice. She would definitely throw a fit when we actually killed a guy.

Not to mention the fact that she would pull an Edward-style guilt trip since she'd put the blame on herself. Not one of us wanted to put that sort of burden on her shoulders.

I sighed in defeat. Emmett spoke up for me. "So what do you suggest?" he asked Carlisle curiously.

______________________________________________________________________________

And you think it's cut and dry now. In fact, _I _think it's cut and dry now. Excuse me while I grab a pen and start plotting away on how to surprise you readers.

Please forgive me for taking such a long time to write this. I'll try and do better.

P.S. Thank you so much for those of you who have gone to my profile page to vote on which story I should finish first after BH comes to an end. Please do vote if you haven't because I'm still undecided. Thank you so much and I promise to start on the sequel ASAP. I just want to write a few chapters first before posting it 'cuz I'd hate to keep you waiting, especially with the plot I'm going with.

Please review and thank you so much for still reading this story.

Juliet.


	47. Gifts and Promises

_**A/N:**_Okay, I'm just so damn sorry for keeping everyone waiting for so long. I was feeling uninspired all this while. I don't even know what was wrong with me. I got so frustrated. Sorry once more. I just have to say thank you to everyone who still tolerate my story and my sudden MIA periods. I'm not the best person to count on sometimes. I hope you still enjoy the story.

P.S. It really makes me happy to see things like how someone reads this story because their mom/friends/etc. recommended it. It's great that you guys read it with people you love and all. The good news is that I've already finished writing the entire story so the next chapter will be up tomorrow after I finish editing it.

BTW, Bella Hale was nominated for The Lion and Lamb Awards!!! How cool is that that it's nominated for an award at all?? LOL. Sorry, I just got excited!

_**Disclaimer:**_SM owns it all.

_**POVs:**_Bella, Edward, Jasper, Rosalie

______________________________________________________________________________

_Bella's POV_

I frowned as I looked around my room for the third time. I was alternating between panicking about my test and panicking about my missing book. I stood up from where I was crouching on the floor, checking under the bed.

I swiveled around to face my open door. "Emmett!" I yelled. "Did you hide my book again!?"

He appeared at my doorway wearing a mischievous grin. "Which book?" he taunted in his playful voice.

I rolled my eyes and placed my hands on my hips. "Wuthering Heights!" I exclaimed, exasperated. He had the ridiculous idea that hiding my books were fun. I didn't agree with him - it only aggravated me.

I supposed to Emmett, it was something very akin to Christmas morning.

Emmett's grin slipped. "Nope, didn't touch that one," he said. I could see the plain honesty in his eyes.

I nodded, ready to search again. Then I turned back to look at him with narrowed eyes. "Wait… Then which book did you hide?" I demanded.

The grin reappeared on my face. "Not telling!" he sang out and literally disappeared from the doorway. I heard him laughing as he went down the stairs.

I let out a frustrated yell then snatched my bag and my notes. I didn't have time for this. School was going to start soon and I needed to focus on cramming for my test.

I stumbled into the kitchen, my eyes fixed on my notes. I was clumsy enough when paying attention, so it wasn't really a surprise when my feet caught on air and I stumbled forward.

I felt a pair of cold arms catch me around the waist and looked up into the crooked grin of my one and only love. I blushed at having fallen yet again and mumbled a hasty 'thank you'.

Edward chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning down to brush his lips gently against mine. I almost groaned out loud. As much as I loved his gentle touch, I loved it even more when he would forget his boundaries and loosen up his restraint.

He took my notes from me, making me scowl at him. "I was reading that!" I protested.

Edward shook his head, tapping my nose lightly with a long finger. "And that's how you ended up tripping again," he said happily.

I rolled my eyes. "Firstly, there is nothing for you to be so cheery about. And secondly, we both know that I would have tripped anyway," I reminded him, holding out my hand for my notes. I had only a few hours left to cram as much knowledge as possible before my test.

Edward pretended to reconsider then smiled lazily at me. If he hadn't been holding me, I would have fallen down on my knees at the sight of that smile. "I'll make you a deal," he said cheekily. "I'll let you have your notes back if you let me do this-"

He didn't say what or let me answer. Instead, he scooped me up into his arms with one hand, dropped my notes onto my lap and carried me all the way to the kitchen island. I squealed at his sudden movement and slapped his arm lightly.

He laughed and set me down on a tall stool. "I never said yes," I mock glared. Esme bustled up to us and placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. "Good morning, mom."

She smiled brightly at me and rushed to my side in the blink of an eye. She kissed me on the cheek lightly and brushed away the little smudge of lipstick on my cheek. "Good morning, honey," she answered. "Did you have a good night's rest?"

I frowned. When I wasn't having nightmares about failing the semester, I was having nightmares about James. When I wasn't having nightmares about James, I was having nightmares about the Volturi.

I felt even more tired now than I did when I went to bed. Not to mention the whole three-thirty in the morning fiasco.

I nodded my head, blushing as I lied, "Yes, I did." Esme frowned at my blatant lie, but I shoved the eggs into my mouth so I wouldn't have to say anything more.

When I was done with my breakfast, Edward walked me, hand in hand, towards the front door. The others were already in the living room. They were still as statues as they waited for us.

I glanced nervously at them all. They looked so uptight, so _worried_…When I'd woken up this morning, Edward had told me to calm down today. He'd told me that I shouldn't worry too much because I had seven vampires to protect me.

How was I supposed to stay calm when said seven vampires were acting as if the world was coming to an end?

Edward led me to the garage and I slid into the passenger seat of the Volvo. The others passed the silver car as they headed straight for Rose's M3. I felt a calming wave pass through me as Jasper walked by. Thank God for Jasper.

We peeled out of the garage after the M3. Rose drove faster than Edward simply because it still drove me crazy when he went above 100 mph.

Occasionally, Edward would shoot me glances. I bit my lip, not saying anything. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk about my nightmares or about how nervous I was about today.

I wasn't exactly sure how to act around James. I knew he might be a potential danger, but I also knew the family was keeping something from me. I couldn't believe they thought they were actually doing a good job of keeping me in the dark. They were my family. I knew them. I knew when something was bothering them.

And Edward! Did he think I wouldn't notice how upset he was? I knew him better than he knew himself. I understood his every action. I could practically see into his mind.

What really bothered me wasn't the fact that they were keeping something from me, it was the fact that it had them all so worried.

What could it be? Did it have something to do with James? Did it have something to do with me? No, I was just being paranoid.

Maybe it was Alistair, Carlisle's friend, coming for a visit. Maybe it was the red-eyed vampires Alice saw during her hunt. Maybe it was vampire PMS.

I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

We pulled into the school parking lot. Edward parked beside the empty M3. The others had already headed inside the school. He turned to look at me. I fiddled with the seatbelt as I undid it, then played with my fingers.

Finally, Edward lifted my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. His topaz eyes were troubled. "Please tell me what you're thinking," he whispered. "You know I absolutely can't stand it when you stay so quiet and distant."

I sighed, grabbing onto his hand to place a kiss on his palm. "It's nothing, Edward," I said, nuzzling his cold hand with my nose.

He smiled a little at this and leaned forward to press his lips firmly against mine. My eyes widened at the contact - he was usually so reserved in public, except for the occasional slip-ups. Those were never in front of a crowd of teenagers, though.

I closed my eyes and eagerly responded to his kiss, but he was already pulling away. I groaned at the loss of contact and he laughed. "Bella," he said reprovingly. "Won't you tell me?"

I looked into his sparkling topaz eyes - which was a mistake, of course. His eyes never failed to dazzle me, especially when he used his perfectly charming crooked smile on me. I sighed in defeat, holding onto his hand and playing with his fingers in my lap. "I'm just worried," I admitted.

His eyebrows pull together and he opened his mouth to ask. I cut him off before he could. "About today. I don't know what to say or how to act around James. I don't know if he's dangerous or if I'm being paranoid."

I looked up into his eyes steadily as I said the next part. "I also know that you're keeping something from me," I said quietly. "Will it be a secret or will you tell me?"

Edward looked trapped as I said this and he turned his beautiful face away from me to avoid my gaze. Finally he turned back to look at me, slowly. "I…Don't think now is the appropriate time," he said hesitantly, gesturing around us to remind me of our current location. "I promise to tell you when we get home."

I nodded my head, then squeezed his hand as hard as I could. "Edward, I know you wish to protect me. I love you for that," I begun. My eyes refused to leave his, afraid to break contact. "But I want you to know that the more you keep from me, the more afraid I get. I need to know the details, Edward, I need to know you're safe."

In one quick movement, he had lifted me off my seat and placed me on his lap. I blushed at my position on his lap but wrapped my arm around his neck anyway. I stroked the ends of his hair, loving the feel of his bronze mane between my fingers.

Edward sighed, nuzzling my neck gently with his nose. A huge smile broke out on my face despite our conversation. He saw my smile and grinned. "I know," he whispered, taking my free hand and kissing each of my fingers gently. "And I'm sorry. I just…I want to keep you away from the horrors of the world. It's hard to do considering what I am and who you're surrounded by all the time, but I try. I just wish you safe."

I smiled at him, stroking his cheek gently. "I love you, Edward," I whispered.

I watched his eyes darken as he breathed in my scent. He brought my head down to kiss me once more. For a few blissful moments, I forgot that we were in his car which was parked in the school parking lot, probably gaining attention by our little 'window-fogging activities', as Emmett would call it.

Edward's insistent lips gentled and slowed. He pulled away only to steal a soft kiss or two. His eyes had gone back to the soft liquid amber I loved to see. "We should probably head to class," he said in his velvet voice.

I laughed a little shakily. Edward opened the door on his side and I climbed out, straightening my outfit that Alice had picked out for me. Edward climbed out next, carrying both our book bags. I slung mine over my shoulder.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and led me towards my first class. I made a face as I remembered that I would be having Mr. McIntire first. I hoped he wouldn't make a big deal out of Carlisle calling the school and demanding that James get another guide slash tutor.

Knowing my luck, I'd probably get called upon in front of the entire class as Mr. McIntire forced a reason out of me.

Just as we entered the school building, Mike came up to us. "Hey, Bella," he greeted me brightly.

I fought back a wince as I answered him as cheerily as I could. Edward was trying his best not to laugh - he knew I wasn't a morning person.

Mike didn't seem to notice anything amiss about either Edward or myself. He continued talking animatedly about some dance coming up. "So…I saw you and Cullen pull up just now. What were you doing sitting in the car for so long?"

I flushed red, actually feeling steam coming from my ears. I couldn't believe Mike just asked me that. Did he really not see what we did or was he just trying to embarrass me further?

I hadn't planned on sitting on Edward's lap nor kissing him so madly like that. It wasn't that I was complaining. In fact, I preferred it. It was just that I'd have preferred it even more without an audience.

I just had a tendency to act irrationally when it came to Edward. When he had kissed me like that, touching me so _lovingly_…I had lost all train of thought.

I opened my mouth and closed it a few times. Mike stared at me, a confused look on his face. I must have looked like a fish out of water.

Edward took the liberty of answering for me. "We were just…Testing each other on biology," he said, a smirk on his flawless face.

Mike frowned, "Is there a test I didn't know about?"

I stifled something that sounded like a horrified gasp and an amused giggle and pulled at Edward's shirt. "Uh, see you later, Mike!" I waved.

Once we were far enough, I swatted Edward on the chest. He merely burst into laughter, capturing the attention of the people around us. I noticed that he had them completely entranced with the sound of his musical laughter.

I couldn't help but be slightly envious. I wanted his laughter to only be for my ears. I knew it was ridiculous and childish, but I couldn't help myself. Edward charmed people without even realizing it and it maddened me to think of women fantasizing of my Edward that way.

I forced those immature thoughts away and instead scowled at him. "Testing each other on biology?" I repeated his answer, shaking my head in disbelief.

We reached McIntire's classroom. Edward lifted me off the ground slightly and hugged me to his lean body. "In my defense, what we did had everything to do with biology," he whispered in my ear. He ran his hand down the side of my body. "And I really did learn a lot."

I felt a shiver run through my spine and glowered at him as he chuckled. "Is this your attempt at distracting me?" I asked, trying vainly to hide my smile.

He smiled wider at me, showing off his white teeth. Instead of scaring me like it should a normal human, it made me smile, too. "Is it working?" I nodded my head, my arms around his neck. "Then yes, it is."

I laughed, stealing a quick peck on the lips. He set me down as the first bell rang and I made to go into the classroom. Edward followed me in and slid into the seat next to me. It was normally Eric Yorkie's seat.

I shot him a look. "What are you doing?" I asked, completely puzzled by this.

He flashed me a wide grin. "Sitting at my new desk in my new class," he said promptly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't have this class," I pointed out, speaking slowly.

Edward leaned back in his seat, placing his hands behind his head as he continued to smile mischievously at me. "As it turns out, not only did Carlisle give James a new tutor, he also switched my schedule so that it's identical to yours."

I gasped, one hand flying to my pounding heart. Edward chuckled as he listened to my heart rate increase. "He didn't!?"

He placed his hands in front of him, taking out a piece of paper from his backpack. "Oh, but he did," he answered, showing me his schedule. It was the same as mine, with the exception of his name, of course.

I shook my head as I looked at Edward, giving him back the schedule. "You're unbelievable, Edward Cullen," I told him playfully.

He took my hand and kissed the back of it gently. "Are you saying you don't want to spend the whole day with me?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.

I laughed, shoving at his hard shoulder. It didn't make him budge one bit, of course. "You know I do!" I said, both of us knowing how difficult it was for us to spend any amount of time apart.

Alice pranced into class just as the second bell rang, winking at me as she passed to sit on my other side.

Eric came up to his usual seat, saw Edward and scrambled to the other side of the room. I shook my head, squeezing Edward's hand one more time before letting go.

I almost forgot the reason I was so nervous to go to school - until James walked in the door, that is.

******************************************************************************

_Edward's POV_

I saw Bella tensing up the moment James walked in the door and did the same. I glared at him as he sat at the far end of the room, his eyes never leaving Bella for a second. I didn't realize I was growling until Bella's soft hand gently pressed against my chest.

I blinked and turned my gaze to her. She was looking at me with wide eyes, her hand gently stroking my chest. "Edward, calm down," she whispered. "Please. Calm down."

She reached forward to kiss my cheek. I smiled, feeling the rage slowly dissipate. It was still there, but bearable enough to handle. I grasped her hand and held onto it tightly. I needed her to calm me down or I'd literally tear James apart in front of the humans.

"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Hale!" McIntire called out, irritated. _My God, it looks like she's practically on his lap. Do they have to do this here? All the damn Cullens are so into PDA. I'd have to separate them if they get any farther._ "Would you care to explain to me why you're straddling each other?" _If she'd only straddle me…_

My eyes turned black once more. Was it possible for me to take Bella anywhere without a single male becoming infatuated with her?

It was bad enough that I had to deal with the lurid thoughts of adolescent males and a potentially dangerous stalker, now I had to deal with the lurid thoughts of a teacher?

How was this fair?

The titters of others in the classroom brought me back to reality. Bella was blushing a deep red, Alice was smirking slightly and James was looking downright murderous. I flashed Mr. McIntire a wide smile and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. McIntire. I just couldn't help myself to my beautiful girlfriend."

Bella slapped my arm once and settled back in her seat. Her face still had a delicious pink tinge to it.

The class went by so slowly I felt like jumping up and screaming half the time. If it weren't for the fact that I was holding onto Bella's hand the whole time, earning glares from Mr. McIntire, James and about the entire male population in the room, I would've done so.

Finally the bell rung. Mr. McIntire called Bella to stay behind. I kissed her once and told her I would wait outside. Poor Bella was nervous enough to face her teacher.

I stayed outside the classroom, eyeing James warily as he passed me. He still looked murderous, his mouth set in a thin line. His eyes were icy as they regarded me. He didn't stay to confront me and I was glad for that. I would have killed him if he had.

I listened to Bella's conversation with her teacher, explaining to him how a straight A student couldn't find it in her time to tutor a fellow classmate due to certain family issues, as Dr. Cullen has already informed the office.

She came out a few minutes later, flustered and annoyed. I chuckled, taking her hand. She rolled her eyes at me. "Honestly, you would think he'd just accept what dad said," she scoffed. "It's not that unbelievable!"

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I think he merely wants to spend a little extra time with you," I said, wincing as I said it, thinking back to Mr. McIntire's thoughts the entire class.

Bella shot me a look. "I'm on his most hated list. I don't see why he'd want to do that," she said, her nose scrunching up as she contemplated my words.

I smiled at her naivety. "Bella, love. He's…_Infatuated _with you," I whispered.

Bella's eyes widened and her face took on a horrified look. "Edward!" she gasped. "How can you say that? He's my _teacher_!"

I nodded my head. "He's also thirty, male and only human," I told her. "If I can't escape your siren call, how can he?"

Bella shook her head. "You're being ridiculous, Edward. And even if it is true," she added, seeing the 'I'm-the-mind-reader' look on my face. "It's just horribly wrong. And gross. And just barf-worthy."

I chuckled, leading her to the next class just in time for the bell to ring. James was in this one, too. Yet again, Bella ended up calming me down.

I wondered how much longer we would have to wait until we could get him incarcerated.

******************************************************************************

Bella groaned in relief when the bell rang, signaling lunch time. I shot her a grin and she rolled her eyes at me. "I can't believe that test!" she said, shaking her head. "I didn't even need to study for it, and yet I just spent the past week cramming every single word from the textbook into my head."

I chuckled. "I offered to tell you what we were going to be tested on," I reminded her.

She laughed, wrapping her arms around my middle and leaning her head on my chest as we walked awkwardly towards her locker. "And I offered to tell Carlisle you wanted me to cheat," she shot back, sticking her tongue out at me.

I took her book bag from her as she opened her locker to switch books for biology after lunch. I watched her frown as she looked through her locker. She shot me a look. "Did you leave me a present, Edward?"

I shook my head, moving to view her locker. There was a wrapped up present in there, with a card underneath it. Bella lifted the gift and flipped the card open. I saw her alabaster face turn an even paler shade of white. I dropped both our bags to the floor, taking the card from her hands.

I felt my jaw clench as I read the words printed on the card. "You and me together. Soon. Your one and only, James."

Bella noticed my anger and stepped forward. She reached out to take the card from my hands but I was gripping them too tightly. "Edward, let go," she whispered. I did so and she took the card, putting it out of my line of sight.

She took the gift and shook it slightly. "Maybe it's a bomb?" she joked. I couldn't even bring myself to smile at the joke.

I lifted my fist, ready to strike the locker next to her, when someone grabbed my hand. It was Emmett. "Whoa, man," he said jokingly. "I don't think we can explain an Edward's-fist-sized dent in the locker to the humans."

He noticed the present in Bella's hand and nudged me. "Still wooing her, Eddie? You know all you gotta do now is kiss her, right?"

Bella blushed a bright crimson shade and glared daggers at Emmett. He merely laughed then nodded at the present. "I can hear something coming from that thing," he mused.

Bella cocked an eyebrow. "It wouldn't happen to be a ticking sound, would it?" she asked anxiously.

I snorted a little at this and shook my head. "No, Bella. It's music."

She frowned, holding the gift up to her ears and listening in. "Sounds a little creepy," she murmured. I had to agree.

Emmett looked confused by my tense position and Bella's anxiety. Bella quickly took out her biology book, stuffed it in her bag, grabbed the card and the present and closed her locker. "It's from James," she whispered to Emmett.

It didn't do any good since I could hear her loud and clear. Emmett looked outraged now but Bella shook her head. "Don't go doing anything stupid now. Remember Mike offered to get me a car before I drove my McLaren for the first time?"

Emmett and I exchanged amused looks, remembering the awkward situation Bella had been in. She had practically yelled out Jasper's name when she had spotted him a few feet away. She'd ended up buying him a new video game to thank him for her 'rescue'.

I held onto Bella by the shoulders, not letting even one inch of space between us. James approached us the moment we entered the cafeteria. Emmett went to sit by Rose and the others simply because Bella shot him a withering glare.

James ignored me as he smiled at Bella. His mind was still as blank to me as the first day I'd met him. His smile was still as cold, his eyes still as empty. "Hello, Bella," he greeted her. "Did you like my gift?"

His eyes fell on the unwrapped present and frowned. He looked up at Bella with a disapproving look on his face. "I got that especially for you."

Bella blushed, but held out the present and the card. James didn't take it from her hands. Bella still held it out. "James, I can't take a present from you…I'm actually pretty insistent on nobody giving me presents. I once screamed at Alice for giving me a whole wardrobe, um, but you don't need to know that…" she stuttered.

I rubbed her shoulder soothingly and she took a deep breath. "We hardly know each other, James. I really can't accept this," she said, pressing the gift and the card into his chest lightly. When he didn't take it, Bella placed it on the table right next to him. "Sorry. And thanks, I guess, but you know…I'm not really a gift person."

I led her away from where James was standing, glaring at the space Bella and I had been standing just a few moments ago. We made our way to the lunch line and I grabbed a tray, filling it up with food I knew Bella would like.

I saw through Newton's head as he approached James and nudged him, looking at Bella and I as he did so. "Dude, you've got nerve to even go anywhere near Cullen's girl, man," he muttered, shaking his head.

James didn't reply, but stalked out of the cafeteria, leaving the unopened present and the crumpled card on the table.

I smiled smugly to myself.

I paid for the food and took Bella's hand, leading her to the table our family were sitting at. I brought our entwined fingers to my lips and kissed the back of her hand.

_Cullen's girl._

I could get used to that.

******************************************************************************

_Jasper's POV_

Rose and I were officially in charge of staking out James. That included during school hours. We went to the school early and followed him the moment he arrived. Since Rose and I left for school early, that left Alice to drive Emmett in her new Porsche.

James went to Bella's locker first thing. Only a few deranged students who actually went to school at six thirty in the morning and some teachers were milling about so no one noticed him.

He fumbled with the lock, chose the right combination the first time around and took out something from his bag. It looked like a wrapped present and a card. He placed them in the locker and shut it, looking pleased with himself.

After that, he went back to the parking lot and sat in his Mustang. It was pretty beat up, a 1960s model that he didn't even fix up properly. I knew Rose would kill him just for that.

We hid in the nearby woods as we watched James. There was his faint scent there, as well. Honestly, did the guy follow her around _everywhere_?

I saw Alice's Porsche coming in, then Edward's Volvo followed. Alice and Emmett didn't bother to wait for Edward and Bella so I supposed they were going to have another one of their 'moments'.

Rose and I went to our mates and told them what we knew about James so far - human, difficult to track his scent, probably psychotic and had just placed a present in Bella's locker.

I'd have to tell her to change her combination. Edward and Bella were still in his Volvo and I could feel the lust coming off of them all the way from where I was standing. I shot Alice a look and she shook her head. "He's not paying attention," she sighed, rubbing her head. "I don't see anything exploding out of her locker so it's fine. We'll just tell him during lunch."

Rose grabbed Emmett's hand and we headed off towards the school building. "Bella would probably already find the present by then," she pointed out.

I kissed Alice's spiky hair, causing her to give me a small smile. She was still frustrated by the lack of visions when it came to James. Carlisle was still researching this and said he would be able to give us a plausible theory by the end of the day. He claimed to be on to something.

Rose and I figured James can't actually get into trouble while he was in class. We'd have to follow him during lunch, though. That one hour could do a lot of damage if he wanted to. James was in Advanced Physics with me and I kept a check on him.

His empty void was still there, making even me shiver. Even killers, murderers, have emotions. I'd felt it. Their anger, their sorrow, their blinding rage. Revenge. Betrayal. Everything.

But with this human, there was absolutely nothing. It still scared me to no end. I still wasn't all that convinced he's fully human. What if he wasn't? What if he was a vampire masking it all?

I mulled over it for hours and I knew it couldn't be true. We'd still be able to get a read on him. James was something else, entirely, but he was still human. His blood still pulsated in his veins, drawing venom from me.

It wasn't that strong, though. Carlisle said he might have a theory on that, as well.

Lunch was right after Physics. Rosalie was already waiting for me outside the door. We followed him in the direction of the cafeteria. Not wanting to look suspicious, we joined the lunch line and went to our usual table.

James waited near the door of the cafeteria. I wasn't particularly worried about losing sight of him. It would be extremely easy to track him. Faint scent or no faint scent, he was still merely human.

To think that he could outrun a vampire…Well, that was just plain laughable. Especially when it was me we're talking about. I wasn't being overly confident or smug, I was just saying the truth.

I was a militant vampire. I'd trained newborns. I'd fought off a thousand of them. I'd fought the Volturi and while that might not have gone down how I'd wanted it to, a human was still no match for me.

I watched my brothers enter the cafeteria, Bella sandwiched between them. Emmett felt angry about something and from their conversation I'd heard in the hallway leading to the cafeteria, I knew it was because of the gift.

He'd heard it in the morning, of course, but it still panicked him to know that someone was after his sister.

Alice basically materialized at my sight without the humans noticing and smiled, pecking my cheek. I gave her a meaningful look and tilted my head inconspicuously at Bella and Edward. Alice smiled but it was slightly strained. "He won't be creating a scene," she assured us in a low voice. "You and Rose need to be prepared, though. He's going to leave the cafeteria in thirteen point eight seconds and you have to follow him."

Rosalie and I nodded at her words. Emmett had already reached our table and his arm was protectively slung over Rose's shoulders. He looked worried but Alice shook her head. "I don't see anything happening to Jazz and Rose," she murmured.

Suddenly, what she had told us registered in my mind clearer than before and I snuck a look at her. "Wait, how did you know he's going to leave?" I asked, surprise evident in my tone. "And so precise at that, too? Did you have a vision?"

Alice looked excited for the first time today and nodded her head, her topaz eyes sparkling. "He's slipping up every now and then. I don't know how and I don't know why. I hope Carlisle does. But I see bits and pieces now…I hope it'll continue until I can get a clear picture," she said in a rush.

I leaned forward and kissed her lightly, running my hand through her spiky hair. She beamed at me then her face turned serious. "Go. He's headed towards the parking lot," she said, her gaze turning to where Edward and Bella were.

I turned just in time to see James' retreating back. Edward led Bella to the table and I reached forward to squeeze her hand once before leaving with Rosalie. We headed out the back and made our way to the parking lot.

Rosalie was feeling annoyed but slightly hopeful. I shot her a look. "What's with the hope?" I asked curiously.

She huffed, pretending to be irritated by my question. I grinned. She shouldn't try to fool an empath, though. It really never worked. "Just thinking about what Alice said. Maybe the guy will slip up," she shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

I nodded my head, knowing exactly how she was feeling. If I'd been terrified yesterday of losing my sister to a human psychopath, of all things, today was just a little clearer.

We reached the parking lot and hid behind a pillar as we watched James. He approached his own car and opened the driver's side of the door. He didn't get in like I expected him to. Instead, he rummaged around and pulled out something.

He slammed the door shut and made his way to the Volvo. Rosalie and I exchanged a confused glance.

James broke into the car and I smirked. Edward wasn't going to like this. I briefly heard Rosalie mutter, "Told him to get a damn car alarm."

I ignored her and continued to watch intently. James placed whatever it was on the passenger seat of the Volvo and closed the door. He stalked off towards the school grounds.

Once I was sure he was nowhere near the lot anymore, I motioned for Rosalie to follow me to the Volvo. We opened the door no problem. Really, who would dare to even go close to a Cullen car?

Apparently, the new psycho human student.

I reached over and grabbed what James had left for Bella, hoping to God it wasn't some sick, twisted gift. Emmett had mentioned something about a music box at the lunch table. Neither Bella nor Edward had been happy about that.

That was to be expected, of course.

I straightened up and stared at the thing in my hands in surprise. It was Wuthering Heights. I recognized the tattered copy as Bella's. I flipped open the cover and, true enough, Bella's chicken scratch of a handwriting was etched on the back of the cover. She had written her name on it the first time she'd gotten it and she'd added a heart with Edward's initials right next to it.

I smiled at her silliness and shook my head. Rosalie had already whipped out her phone and was calling Alice. "Alice," she said in a clear, firm tone. "No, nothing bad. He put something in Edward's car…He broke in. I know," she laughed a little. "Edward, give the phone back to Alice! It's not my fault you don't have enough common sense to get a car alarm!"

I rolled my eyes and tried to find something in the book that James might have left for her. It made no sense for him to get her book and give it back. As crazy as he was, I had to believe that he had a purpose for everything he did.

I caught a glimpse of something after the acknowledgements and begun to read the unfamiliar handwriting.

"It's Bella's copy of Wuthering Heights," Rosalie was saying into her phone, not paying attention to me at all. I bit my lip as I reread the note James had written in the book.

How did James even get the book? Bella was as protective of her books as Edward was about his CDs. She would've never taken it out of the house. If she'd wanted to bring something to read, she'd bring a library book.

Something clicked and made my senses go on alert. What if James had been in the house? That was the only thing I could think of. I knew my sister. There was no way she'd let this book out of her sight. She loved it.

When would he even had the chance to come into our home? Esme rarely left the house alone, and one of us was always there if memory served me right.

Of course, Esme left once in a while to work on a few of her projects out of town. She went to the grocery store for Bella and such…But during the day she normally stayed home to work on her garden, didn't she?

I supposed there might have been some point when the house was unguarded…

My eyes widened as I suddenly realized something - the time when we went to Canada to go to the new hunting ground, we'd left Bella all alone at home. What if James hadn't been obsessed with her since the first day of school, but since before?

What if it wasn't just a chance meeting at New York? Hell, he never even spoke to her and he'd dropped everything to come to Forks and attend the same school as her.

Had we left her so unprotected that James managed to even enter the house? Was Bella conscious during this? Was she in any danger during this time?

I knew Alice couldn't see much of him, but how had we all missed this? We'd been gone for three days so it made sense if his faint scent was gone by then, but really…

A human had outsmarted seven vampires and had even entered our home?

I threw the book back on the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. I grabbed the phone from Rose, causing her to yell out an outraged, "Hey!"

I ignored her and spoke quickly into the phone. "Alice? Pass the phone to Edward," I said urgently. She didn't hesitate and I smiled inwardly. My Alice knew me too well to question me. Edward's voice reached my ears. "Don't let Bella out of your sight. Tell her to skip gym today. Take her home and don't leave her side. I'll explain later when Carlisle's home. Don't panic."

I could literally feel the fear emanating from him over the line. "What do you mean 'don't panic'?" he whisper-yelled. "You basically spoke like war's breaking out and you tell me not to panic? What sort of a-"

"Jasper?" Bella's sweet voice filled my ears. "Edward's a little on the non-stable side right now," she joked and I laughed a little. "What's going on? I heard something about a book?"

I nodded my head before remembering that she couldn't see me. "Yes," I confirmed. "Don't be shocked when you see your Wuthering Heights in the Volvo. I'll tell you when dad comes home," I promised her. "Listen to me, Bella. Don't panic. Please. Just skip gym, go home and stick to Edward. James wrote you a message in the book, too, but don't read it until we're all home. I don't want you getting afraid, okay?"

I heard Bella sucking in a deep breath. "Okay," she replied shakily. "Alice wants to talk to you."

Rosalie and I headed back to the school, trying to get James' scent. Alice's voice came on. "Jazz? Where are you?" she asked, her voice calm. I guessed she still didn't see anything horrible happening to us in the immediate future.

I explained to her that we were tracking James. It seemed to be getting stronger near the lab. I gave Alice a quick goodbye and snuck in with Rosalie.

James was sitting at his seat, staring off into space. Due to our speed, we had made it to the back without him noticing we had even entered the room.

Rosalie shuddered next to me. Without taking her eyes off of James, she spoke to me at vampire speed and volume. "This human is seriously freaking me out," she whispered. "I swear it's like watching a horror movie."

I grimaced. I didn't think Rose had come to the same conclusion as I did back at the Volvo because she would've been rushing forward to tear James limb from limb if she had. Even then, I empathized with her.

I just had to hope that the other humans could handle him.

If not, I was going to have to deal with him. My way.

******************************************************************************

_Rosalie's POV_

Jazz was acting strange after the Volvo incident. He mentioned something about explaining something once Carlisle was home, so I supposed he had figured out a part of the James mystery. He wouldn't tell me, though.

It was after school already. Jazz and I had ditched the rest of our classes for the day after lunch, worried that James would slip through our fingers.

True enough, he hadn't gone to gym after noticing that Bella was no longer in school. He'd gone to the office, cooked up some crackpot story about a family emergency and sped off. Jazz and I followed him, wary as to where he was headed.

I didn't want him to go to our house and starting something up. I was surprised when he led us to an apartment building. Jazz and I, following him on foot, waited in the shadows for him to climb out of his car and ride the elevator.

He stepped out on the tenth floor and we scaled the side of the building in a speed faster than lightning, staying out of sight.

We followed him into apartment 10B and stayed outside the windows for a while. It was a good thing he had a balcony. I listened to the noises inside the apartment intently. His faint scent was stronger in there, probably because he lived there. I couldn't smell anything or anyone else, though. He must live alone.

I heard a door close and the sound of water running. He was in the shower.

Jasper and I nodded simultaneously and climbed in through the balcony. We landed gracefully in the living room and looked around.

The place was pretty bare. It didn't look very homey, either. I didn't really expect it to, being the home of a psycho and all.

I turned around to see what else was there in the plain 'home' and screamed out when I saw the wall. "Oh, my God!"

I felt Jasper rushing over to my side and clapped a hand over my mouth. I tried to shake him off but he was hissing at me to be quiet. I glared at him. His eyes widened as he took in what I was facing but we had no time for that. James had heard my scream and the shower was turned off. We quickly headed out the balcony to hide.

He came out not two seconds later, a towel draped over his waist. I crouched and stayed hidden in the shadows, hoping he wouldn't come out to the balcony.

Unfortunately, he was convinced that he had heard something and was now searching the entire apartment. When he was sure no one was there, he stepped out into the balcony. Before he even made it out, Jazz and I had stepped off the railing and held on to the wall under the balcony.

I sincerely hoped no one would look up and see us. This would need a lot of explaining. It was impossible for two humans to hang on to a wall twenty feet above ground with nothing but their bare hands.

James, satisfied that no one was there but confused all the same, headed back inside the apartment. We stayed there, not daring to move.

I heard him moving about in the apartment before a door slammed. His heartbeat started to fade. Jazz and I climbed back up to the balcony and stepped into the apartment. James had left.

He turned to me. "You stay here and try to find something substantial. Take pictures of the apartment," he said, his gaze drifting back to the horrifying wall.

I shuddered. "Can't we just rip it all off?" I asked disgustedly. "It's creepy."

Jasper nodded his head in agreement. "It's evidence," he countered. "Remember to snap as many pictures of everything you find. We need to show Carlisle. I'll follow James. Meet you back at the house."

I nodded and whipped out my cell phone as he left. I gulped as I stared at the wall of pictures. I stepped closer to it tentatively, staring wide eyed at the photos. I took a closer look at them all.

I recognized most of them - Alice picked out Bella's clothes, after all. I recognized a few of the places. Newton's Outfitters, school, the library, Port Angeles…My eyes widened as I saw a few of her outside our house and even entering our home.

I snapped as many photos as I could of the individual pictures and of the entire wall. With one last shudder, I turned to look around the apartment.

The kitchen counter had glue, mangled photos and scissors. I squinted at the mangled papers and found that I recognized the tuft of bronze hair. James must have cut out Bella's figure only to create that creepy wall.

I snapped a quick shot of the counter top, as well. I went into the bedrooms, afraid of what I'd find.

His bedroom was plain. A bed, a dresser, a mirror. I went to search around and found a few bottles of pills in the dresser. I took them out and snapped shots of the prescription bottles. Maybe Carlisle could declare him certifiably insane.

I went to the other room and gasped. The room was pretty much dowsed in red light. I could smell the strong smell of strawberry - he must have caught that in her shampoo. I wrinkled my nose. On Bella, the smell was sweet and delicious. Here it was just sickening.

I stepped forward towards the only furniture in the room - a rectangular table. I raised my eyebrows as I reached it. I rolled my eyes.

A shrine.

A big photo of Bella stood on a frame in the center. Certain things surrounded it. I shuddered as I examined the left side of the table where a few strands of brunette hair lay in a Ziploc bag. It was labeled 'Bella's hair'.

Sicko.

I snapped a few quick shots then left in a hurry. I didn't want to be in the place any longer than I needed to. It freaked me out and, frankly, I felt it was contaminated with James Hunter's essence.

I dashed back for home, wishing to be back in Emmett's strong arms again.

I hope for his sake that he hadn't scratched my M3.

******************************************************************************

_Bella's POV_

Biology was a waste of time since Mr. Banner made us watch another video. We headed straight for the office after class, skipping gym altogether.

Since I couldn't act to save my life, Edward told Mrs. Cope that we had a family emergency and that Carlisle needed us home immediately. Mrs. Cope was far too dazzled by Edward to question why it was only the two of us that needed to get home.

I found her reaction to Edward too funny and disgusting to be annoyed that Edward was dazzling someone other than me.

Of course, the fact that she was a forty-year-old woman did help.

I was anxious as I approached Edward's Volvo. I could tell Edward was, too, but he tried to joke about it. "It's not going to bite, Bella," he said lightly. I shot him a glare and he held up his free hand.

I gripped Edward's hand tightly as he opened the passenger side of the door for me. I stared at the item on my seat before snatching it up and putting it on my lap. Jasper said not to read it before Carlisle gets home, so I won't.

Edward, not wanting to risk exposure, moved at human speed to his side. He jogged over quickly and stepped in. He eyed the book on my lap warily before pulling out of the parking lot.

We rode silently back home, Clair de Lune playing softly. It soothed me, if only for a little. When we stepped into the house, Esme greeted us. She didn't look the least bit surprised so I supposed Alice had called her to let her know we'd be arriving early.

She, too, eyed the book in my hand but took it from me and placed it on the coffee table for later. I knew Carlisle would want to talk to everyone after he gets home. He'd mentioned something about a theory before we'd gone to school in the morning.

Esme stroked my hair in her gentle manner and smiled warmly at me. "Would you like your lunch now, dear?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "I'm not all that hungry. I'll come down in a bit, mom," I assured her, knowing that she wouldn't allow me to skip a meal.

She nodded, satisfied, then headed up to Carlisle's study. I knew she was working hard on the house we'd be moving to in Canada for my change. It was approaching fast.

Edward took my hand and lightly swung our intertwined fingers back and forth. "Would you like to go up to my room for a little while?" he offered.

I smiled and nodded my head. As comfortable as my room was, I enjoyed being in his a lot more. Something about the gold hue and vast music collection calmed me down. It was so Edward.

I stepped in and smiled at the sight of Lilly curled up at the foot of the couch. She loved Edward's room, too. I sat on the couch and leaned down to scratch behind Lilly's ears. I really did need to bring her to the vet. She was pretty lethargic.

Edward put on a CD of his own compositions and I smiled. He knew just what I needed. He seemed satisfied at the smile on my face and came to sit next to me. I brought my feet up and curled into Edward's chest. He held me to him, his arms icy cold and comforting.

I sighed contentedly and leaned up to kiss his jaw. "Edward?" I spoke up, worry slowly seeping into my pores once more.

I could hear Emmett's booming voice downstairs. I supposed he and Alice were already back with the M3. Rosalie and Jasper were still out. I knew that they'd cut class after lunch to follow James.

I was so worried something bad was going to happen. The entire family was so riled up over James and I knew it wasn't simply because he had an interest in me - Mike Newton didn't really cause us all to worry.

I knew the reason everyone was worried was because James had somehow, unintentionally, blindsided everyone.

I was worried, too, afraid that my family would be in danger. I knew Edward practically scoffed when I mentioned this. He didn't think a human could ever harm vampires. I had to admit that I didn't think it was possible, either.

It didn't mean I could stop feeling worried.

Edward's fingers tangled in my brown locks. "Hmm?" he murmured, shifting us so that I was laying on my back. He hovered over me, a distracted look in his eyes.

I refused to get lost in his eyes so I stared at his chest instead. "Will everything be alright?" I asked.

My breath came out in a rush when Edward ducked his head and pressed his cool lips to my pulse point. I swear to God the man would be the death of me.

I felt his shoulders shaking with laughter as my heartbeat sped up as his lips trailed upwards to my jaw. I smacked his chest lightly. "Edward!" I said, trying to be stern. He pulled back, an amused glint in his eyes. I scowled. "I'm all worried and you're making fun of me?"

That made his smug smile slip. He took my hand and placed a gossamer kiss to my palm. "I'm sorry, my Bella," he whispered. "I was only trying to distract you from your worries…I assure you that you will be safe in my arms."

I sighed and reached up with my free hand to run it through his messy hair. I loved the feel of his bronze hair. I shivered as a sudden burst of love for him shot through me. Sometimes Edward was just simply too much for me - and even then, I'd hold him closer so I could get more of him.

I smiled slightly. "I know," I kissed his cheek. "I trust you. I'm just anxious, I guess."

Edward laid his cheek against my beating heart, listening to the rhythm. I knew it soothed him, just like my lullaby soothed me. I bit my lip. "Edward? Will you still love me? You know, after the change," I whispered.

He shot up and stared incredulously at me. "What sort of a question is that, Bella?" he demanded. I lowered my gaze and he sighed heavily. He reached up and stroked my cheek gently. "I will always love you, sweet Bella," he said.

His sincere tone made me look up. I gasped at the intensity of his topaz eyes. They were smoldering as he gazed at me. "Nothing will ever change that," he said firmly.

"What about my heartbeat?" I asked, gripping his hand to where my heart was. "What about my blush? My clumsiness? These are the things you say you love about me. When I'm like you, my heart will be still. My cheeks would never be red. My eyes won't be brown. I'd be graceful…I can't help but wonder-"

He shook his head and before I knew it, his mouth was covering mine. His kiss was so feverish, I was gasping into it, clutching at the front of his shirt. My eyes rolled back into my head and I almost fainted.

Edward finally pulled back, smiling at how I was gasping for air. He, too, seemed breathless although I knew he didn't actually need the air. "Yes, I do love these things about you," he said suddenly, his voice sad. "I wish I'd have that forever. But you have to understand, love, that I love you for you, not for your blush or your pulse."

He slid off me and laid on his side. He pulled me snug against him and I snuggled into him, making sure I could look into his eyes. "I love you for your loving, kind, forgiving heart," he whispered. "I love you for your curiosity and your inquisitiveness. I love you for your laugh, your smile, your joy. I love you because of the love you have for me - I swear, Bella, you're enough to kill me all over again."

I giggled slightly, my fingers curling against his chest as I clung onto him. "Promise me, Edward," I pleaded softly. "Promise me that no matter what, you will always be with me, you will always love me."

He hugged me fiercely. "I promise, Isabella Marie Hale. I will always love you. I will always be yours. Even if you get sick of me," he added in the end.

I placed my hand gently against his cool cheek and he closed his eyes momentarily. "Never," I vowed. "I'll always want you with me, Edward."

His eyes fluttered open and he gave me a breathtaking crooked smile. "I'll hold you to that," he said, leaning in to kiss me once more.

______________________________________________________________________________

Just a little A/N here. I don't know if the people who read the first chapter and made this particular comment have reached this point yet. If you have, I just have to say: I don't know if I should apologize or laugh. I'm, of course, referring to the 'diaper' thing in chapter 1. I don't even remember writing that. In fact, I didn't even realize it until the first reviewer pointed it out to me. Who knew that one word would cause so many people to comment on it? I think I've got 20 people telling me about it so far. LOL. Sorry. I'll edit the whole thing once this story's over but for right now, it's just going to be there.

Anyway, I'm trying to keep the story away from the OOC range. If I wanted OOC, I'd write an all-human story. Even then, I'd try to keep it as IC as possible. Tell me if you think I'm starting to stray from the characters' original personalities, yeah?

Again, thank you so much for your patience. Even if you have been bugging me for the updates, I'm glad. I need the inspiration. I think my Muse escaped me for a few days.

P.S. For those of you who PM-ed me, I'm so sorry for not replying. MSN isn't working on my computer right now. I'll have to check it when I'm at my gran's house. Let's just hope I can log in there.

I'm so sorry for driving everyone crazy for not updating. From some of the reviews, I gathered I actually pushed some off the edge. So sorry! Especially to you, Summerland61 and everyone else who was waiting forever for me to update.

I know I have no right for asking this considering I'd pissed off pretty much everyone by not updating for so long but could you please leave a review? A tiny one would suffice. Thank you.

Juliet.


	48. Chapter 48

Hey, guys, it's me...Obviously. I just wanted to apologize for being MIA for so long. I have to admit I'm not the best under pressure. I started this to escape from the real world and it helped for the longest time - I received compliments instead of negativity and I started feeling invincible, like I could do anything. And I could, in a matter of speaking. Or is it, writing?

Anyway, I know it's not an excuse, after disappearing for...What, two years now? I've probably made a lot of you turn away from this, but I hope that _some_ are still loyal to BH and are continuing to read this way overdue posts. Life just got in the way. I think I'm suffering through a very delicate 'Dorothy Parker in the 20s & 30s' sort of a situation.

I sincerely hope that I've made up to at least some of you by posting the rest of BELLA HALE, every last chapter, at the same time, as well as seven new chapters for ADVENTURES OF SILLY BELLA.

At this point, I'm not so sure I will complete my other uncompleted stories. Not in the immediate future, anyway. I'm so sorry, but they're on hiatus for me - I'm just not feeling it. One of these days, I'm going to have to reread TWILIGHT SAGA all over again, and maybe I'll get the inspiration. I'm really sorry about that.

Back to BELLA HALE. I don't know if I'm entirely satisfied with how the James situation started out - it feels too rushed to me. I think I did my best to smooth it over for the rest of BH. The sequel is pending though at this point, I'm not even sure if I'll write it. I have a good plot, for the change and what'll happen with the Volturi, and even her first year, but then things take a more dramatic turn and I'm not sure if that's suitable for a BH flow (despite the few twists and turns, BH seems cheery to me and this new plot line is a little...Out there).

I'll continue writing a few more chapters for ADVENTURES OF SILLY BELLA, I think. Mostly, it's because I miss child-Bella. In the originals, we never get to see the childlike side of her or even the teenage side of her, really. She was so grown up. In Breaking Dawn, it's like everyone skipped their teenage phase and moved on to becoming people in their 20s or 30s. Maybe even middle aged. Then in BH, we do get to see it but we missed out on some of the 'cute moments' in a child's life. Some are purely for entertainment purposes, some have a deeper meaning. Whatever it is, it helps to see the innocence of a child's life.

Now, I know I'm probably disappointing a lot of you by not completing my other stories, but I do have quite a few others that I will be posting along with BH and ASB. They are on my profile, so just check them out if you want to:

- **The Distance Between Us**: a Twilight fan fiction. COMPLETED. Summary: It has been exactly a year since Edward left. Bella's been driving aimlessly for almost as long. Now, temporarily in NY, she runs across Alice and Emmett, half-mad. Alice figures out something is wrong when she could see the 'Edward hallucination' Bella keeps having, and none of the humans can. EXB.

- **The Strange Case of Edward Cullen**: a Twilight fan fiction. ONE-SHOT. COMPLETED. Summary: The many reasons why Edward Cullen is strange. AU love story. EXB.

- **The Monstrosity in Humanity**: a Twilight fan fiction. TWO-SHOT. COMPLETED. Summary: We all know that Renee had to have dated throughout Bella's childhood. What if her boyfriends weren't good men? What if this led to Bella having a very drastically different sort of past that no one knew about? This is Bella, engaged to Edward, telling him why she knew he wasn't a monster. EXB.

- **Sweet Reprieve**: a Twilight fan fiction. ONE-SHOT. COMPLETED. Summary: an outtake from a story I have outlined and even written for a few chapters. The story, entitled 'The Blue Hour' is basically Twilight with Alice and Jasper as the human-vampire couple, with the others already as Cullens. Bella is Rosalie's and Emmett's daughter since Rose was human when vampire Emmett met her and they had the whole hybrid baby Bella thing, and even though her story's changed, she's not the forerunner in this story. Alice and Jasper are, with strong undertones of Alice/Bella friendship/sisterhood. 'Sweet Reprieve' is Rosalie contemplating her new life as a vampire, mourning what she had lost, but being so happy over what she had found: a husband and children. It's sweet and fluffy.

- **When Jasper Met Bella**: a Twilight fan fiction. ONE-SHOT. COMPLETED. Summary: Another outtake from The Blue Hour. I haven't decided to post TBH yet, and if people like Sweet Reprieve and When Jasper Met Bella, then I will. This one is about how baby Bella helps her family (sans Alice) find Jasper and bring him into their family.

For BONES fans, since I don't think I will be continuing with my first BONES fan fiction, at least for now, I have other, better, ones:

- **The Evolution of Us**: a Bones fan fiction. ONE-SHOT. COMPLETED. Summary: A dream leads Brennan to evaluate her recent feelings towards Booth, as well as their odd co-dependent relationship. An epiphany comes to her - one that results in a funny, loving, Booth & Brennan sort of situation. Booth/Brennan, of course.

- **Heartbreak City**: a Bones fan fiction. Summary: Booth and Brennan are back in DC after a year apart, two completely different people. He has a blonde on his arm, seemingly out of love with her, and she has heartbreak in her eyes, having come to terms with her love for him. The two of them bend and pull and push, but in the end, they are always meant to be. The story of how they finally get together, but not without its share of heartbreak. Eventual BB.

- **The Clandestine Affair**: a Bones fan fiction. First 8 episode-chapters posted. Summary: Booth and Brennan have always been together, right from the Pilot episode. But Brennan has a secret - her life isn't as empty as Booth thinks it is. They not only find their way to being in love throughout every episode, they also find their way to being a family. P.S. If you're not into Brennan having kids pre-series, don't read. I just thought that if she had kids, someone to love and be loved for in return unconditionally, she'd understand love better and be more open to being with Booth. BB aren't going to be having their own kids until the epilogue, and I will be doing this story up to the 100th episode, so…I mean, if Brennan actually got pregnant, it would screw with the plot even more so we'll just stick to Booth having Parker and Brennan with her kids. Give it a shot, though, you might like it.

- **The Beginning of Forever**: a Bones fan fiction. First 17 chapters posted. Summary: Booth and Brennan met in high school, she a 15 year old junior in foster care and he a 17 year old junior with an abusive past, living with his brother and grandfather in Chicago. They met, they fell in love, they have conflicts, they stick it out together. This is a massive, epic, really long love/family story, with every chapter outlined thoroughly. This is my BONES baby, with a BB that's a lot like Bren and Booth even if they are still forensic anthropologist/FBI agent down the line. I'm really counting on your thoughts on this particular fan fiction, so if you like BONES, and aren't a fan of angst, please check this out and leave a line or two. Thank you.

To wrap things up here, I hope it's not too much to ask some of you to leave a review, however tiny, about the rest of BH, as well as the new chapters for ASB and my new stories. I hope to get you new chapters of my new, uncompleted stories soon. I promise I won't disappear on you for two years again.

Thank you, yet again, for everything. Your endless patience, your kind words, even your harsh ones, and your support. I couldn't have done all of this without any of you. You are my rock, giving me more than enough strength to pull through. You'll never know how thankful I am for everything you've done for me.

BH is over, even if the story isn't completely told (crosses fingers for sequel) but it's over just the same. 50 chapters...Wow. That's amazing. I can't believe I actually finished it. Thank you yet again for following me through this journey.

Now, I'm not sure how long it would take me to upload everything - FF is being weird on my computer - but I promise to try my hardest to have it all up by Sunday night. I wanted to upload everything before the new Bones season premiere tonight for those of you in the States, but that doesn't look like it's happening. It's all just right there so it depends on the speed of my computer, I guess…Sorry.

So, parting words for now, please leave a line and tell me how you feel. Even if it's a smack to the face and a blow to the pride, I'll take it.

Your sincerely,

Juliet.


	49. Disturbia

_**A/N:**_ I am so sorry to every single one of my readers. I really couldn't update. I know plenty must have given up on this story and I'm sorry for that. Between problems with the family, issues with friends, a brutal writer's block, a death in the family and transitioning into a higher education school…It's been beyond hectic. I know you deserve more than this vague explanation so I'll do my best with this chapter.

I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry, and I really appreciate every review and every PM. I'll try my best to reply to reviews from now on. I'm kinda excited about that now! (Tells you how pathetic my life is)

Here's the next chapter. I really hope I didn't screw it up. I planned out everything but when it was time to really write it all down, I sort of panicked because it's such a difficult thing writing how I imagined it. Please read and tell me what you think. Thank you.

P.S. I know you guys are still mad so I'm updating with a few chapters for Bella Hale as well as a few for Adventures of Silly Bella. My computer's being wonky, it took me the longest time to get this up, but I'll keep trying until it's all there. I'm hoping that it will all be there by Sunday night.

_**WARNING:**_ This chapter contain some disturbing scenes, especially in James' POV…If this makes you really queasy, maybe you should skip that part?

_**Disclaimer:**_ SM owns it all.

_**POVs:**_ Carlisle, Jasper, James

* * *

_Jasper's POV_

I stayed well hidden in the shadows as I followed James in his car. He drove until he was out of Forks. I recognized the route and assumed that he was going to Port Angeles. I was right.

He made several stops in different stores. One was in a bookstore. One was in a flower shop. One was in a candy store. I sincerely hoped he wasn't going to send any of those things to Bella. If he were, I'd throw them out with the delivery boy. I wouldn't put it past James to poison the chocolate.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind about how angry Edward was that someone broke into his precious Volvo. And not just any regular someone, either. This someone happened to be completely obsessed with Edward's mate.

I sighed as James headed towards an electronics store. Was he hoping to buy Bella off?

Three hours passed before James was done in Port Angeles. There was even an incident in a creepy voodoo store that I would _kill_ to forget…By the time he reached the outskirts of Forks, the sun was already setting.

I thought he was going to go back to his apartment, but I was surprised when he drove towards where our house was. He was so confident in his driving. He didn't check a map or a paper with directions. He didn't pause or anything.

I narrowed my eyes as he stopped just at the unpaved road that led to our house. This only confirmed my suspicions that he had been here before.

Why we had never smelled him before was a mystery. His heartbeat would have been too far away to hear and his thoughts would have been too faint. Was it because his smell was hardly there?

I had to bring this up to Carlisle. Maybe he had a theory about this, too.

The sun was still in the sky, giving off an orange glow. I knew Bella loved to watch the sun set on the roof. So much so that Esme had built a shelter over the roof for her so that the seats won't get wet.

I hoped no one would come out of the house - it would be too easy for James to spot sparkling people even from this distance. We were like diamonds, reflecting rainbows on our skin. Only, less precious.

Bella would disagree - but she hadn't seen the things I had, or went through the darkness Edward did. She didn't even know what Carlisle witnessed when he was living with the Volturi.

For all her easy acceptance of us and her comfort at being around us, she was blind to what we really were. I, just like Edward, feared her reaction to immortality once she had it.

I moved swiftly through the trees, using the forest path so that James wouldn't see my sparkling form. I headed in the house through the back door. Alice greeted me with a frown on her face. Her anxiety almost knocked me down to my feet.

I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and hugged her to me. "Is everyone home?" I asked her, lifting my head to check their scents.

Alice nodded once. "Yes. They're waiting for you so we can start," she said, tugging at my hand and leading me towards the door.

We headed out to the living room. I took a seat next to Alice. Rosalie was clinging to Emmett, a disturbed expression on her face. I would have the same look, too, if I had to spend time in James' apartment.

Edward was hugging Bella so tightly, I was afraid he was going to crush her bones. She didn't seem to mind, though, clinging to him seemingly just as tightly. I think she was afraid of what we would discover. She might not be a mind-reader, but she was still a perceptive girl. Judging from our faces, she could tell something was very wrong.

I tried sending her calming waves but it only helped a little. She depended more on Edward to soothe her nerves.

Carlisle was pacing the room. He was holding a camera in his hands, muttering silently to himself. Even I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at Bella apologetically. "Judging from the pictures of the medication James takes, I think I can explain a little of what's going on here," he begun.

Bella's eyes had widened at the mention of 'medication'. Edward's growls had grown louder. I held up my hand to stop Carlisle from expressing more of his theory just yet. "Before we begin," I said. "I think you should know that James is right outside."

Esme partially stood up in panic, then settled back down. "What?" Carlisle asked sharply. It was the first time I'd seen him so panicked over a human.

"I was following him, Carlisle, as per your orders," I explained. "He went from his apartment to Port Angeles. When he came back, he headed straight for our house. It didn't seem like he was confused about the directions. It seems as if he's been here before."

Bella gasped, a terrified look on her face. "What do you mean 'been here before'?" she yelped. "We've never invited him here."

I shook my head but didn't answer her. There was no need to. She was starting to realize the intensity of the problem here. I think sometimes she just denied how great a certain problem was until things get more concrete.

Emmett cracked his knuckles. "Well, then, let's go bash his head in," he boomed.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "We'll glitter in the sun if we go out now," I reminded him. He made a face but settled back. "We wait for a little while. Once the sun sets, we'll see how it goes. If he's still out there, one or two of us should go out there and have a word with him."

I looked to Carlisle to see if he approved of this solution. He seemed to and nodded his head once. He was still distracted from the medications James was taking, I supposed.

He sighed and sat down next to Esme. "From what I can tell, James is, in layman's term, delusional," he said softly, trying not to scare Bella. Everything about him right now screamed trying to be calm for his daughter.

I didn't think it was working because Bella's nerves were in a mess, but she kept a good exterior, frowning but not showing just how terrified she really was.

"He's taking quite a lot of medication, which would explain his faint scent. It makes the blood thinner. His delusions might include you, Bella, which is why he's so obsessed with you. I can't get into his mind so I don't know what exactly he's thinking of…"

I frowned at him. "Do you think he's been here before?" I asked bluntly. I needed to know this. I had a theory, as well, as to when James might have been in the house.

Edward's head snapped in my direction as he read my thoughts. I knew for a fact that he would never leave Bella alone after this.

Carlisle grimaced. "As incredulous as that sounds," he said. "I have to say yes. I can't figure out the how or the when, yet. We never leave this place unprotected-"

"That's not exactly true," I interrupted.

Carlisle frowned at me, but waved at me to continue. "We left this place a few weeks ago to go to that new spot in Canada," I reminded them all. "Only Bella was left here. If what Rosalie said is true, if James really started his obsession when he saw Bella in New York, then he was already tracking her during our trip. She was all alone for three nights. He could have easily broke in without her knowledge."

Bella's brows furrowed together. "Maybe that's how he got my book?" she suggested, nodding at her copy of Wuthering Heights on the table. At my raised eyebrow, she cracked a small smile. "No, I haven't read it, yet." Under her breath, she muttered, "I don't think I want to."

Rosalie looked around. "And her hair?" she piped up, as if just remembering something. "I was wondering how he got that. It was more than just one strand and it would've alerted Bella if he were to grab a few hairs from her at school…"

Emmett made a face. "Her _hair_!" he exclaimed, disgusted. "What sort of a freak show is this?" he boomed, looking torn between laughing and tearing James to shreds.

Carlisle reached for the book on the table. "May I?" he asked to no one in particular. When no one objected, he took the yellowing book in his hands gingerly and opened it. I winced as I thought of the words permanently etched into my brain.

I shot a look at Bella. She wasn't going to like this at all. I took in a deep breath, filling my senses with Alice's scent, and focused on keeping Bella calm. We all knew how she tended to faint at the most opportune moments. This would certainly be one of those moments.

Carlisle's eyes traced the words in the book several times, Edward almost reaching out and ripping the books to shred as he heard it in Carlisle's thoughts. Carlisle gave Bella another searching look before saying the words out loud.

"'The moment I saw you, I decided to make you mine. Their hearts will bleed for you, Isabella. It won't be long until nothing will stand in our way. J.'," he read out.

Taking a look around, he cleared his throat. "I think it's safe to say that we can involve the police now. We certainly do have enough evidence."

Esme reached out and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Are you sure, dear?" she asked concernedly.

Carlisle nodded. "He broke into Edward's car and returned Bella's possession which, as far as she knew, she didn't take out of this house. I have a friend in the police department who can help us out. I can ask him to run a background check on James and if he comes up with anything, we can ask for legal actions to be taken," he said, his voice taking on a firm tone.

He turned to kiss Esme on the cheek and stood up to call his friend. I moved over to the window and lifted the curtain a little to check if James was still there. It was already nightfall outside. Using my sensitive eyesight, my gaze swept across the clearing.

James' car was still outside. I turned to Emmett. "I think you and I should go have a chat with Mr. Hunter himself," I said, tilting my head towards the window.

Emmett grinned and stood up, his eyes darkening menacingly. I knew he was incredibly protective of Bella. We all were, really.

Edward stood up and snarled. "What makes you think you're going to go out there and confront him without me?" he asked angrily.

I shared a look with Emmett. "Edward, you're not thinking rationally-"

"_Don't tell me what I'm thinking_!" he snapped. "This human has the twisted idea of making _my _love his own! I'm going out there whether you like it or not!"

Bella had stood up and come forward to touch him. I almost smacked a hand to my forehead. I knew we were all more or less in tuned with her in our lives for so long, but to get so close to a vampire when he was _this _mad? Even Edward had his flaws when he was angry.

Edward, reading my thoughts, growled at me once and forced himself to calm down. Bella wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned into him. "Please listen to Jazz," she begged him. Edward pulled back slightly and shot her an incredulous look.

Bella reached up and stroked his cheek lightly. "Please," she said again. "I know you mean well. I know you want to protect me, but your temper does get the better of you at times," she pointed out to him. Emmett smirked at Edward. Judging from Edward's sour look, I'd say that Emmett had made some sort of comment in his head.

Bella leaned up to kiss Edward's cheek. "Please? I'm scared, Edward, I need you here," she whispered. I knew she was probably just doing that to get Edward to stay with her. I had to say I was impressed. She knew just what to say to get him to do what she wanted. Of course, all the women in the house had the same power over their mates, but she did it for his own good, not her benefit.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Fine. But I'm not leaving your sight," he warned her. Bella smiled and shrugged. She didn't have a problem with that, either.

Carlisle walked into the room and smiled reassuringly. I could still feel his anger and anxiety, though, and knew that he mainly wanted Esme and Bella to be calm. "I just talked to Captain Matt Sung from the Seattle Police Department. He'll run a background check and get back to me," he informed everyone.

Bella raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you know the Captain of the SPD, dad?" she asked teasingly.

Carlisle chuckled at her attempt at alleviating the tense atmosphere. "When you have Emmett as a son, you learn to make real good friends with the authorities," he joked.

Emmett scowled at Carlisle but walked over to me. "That sick kid is outside. Jazz and I are going to talk to him," he said, cracking his knuckles again.

Carlisle pursed his lips. "I think I'll go, too, just to make sure the two of you don't injure the boy. God only knows you like to show off sometimes," he muttered, shaking his head.

Edward sighed. "Great. Now I'm the only man left behind," he grumbled. Bella tried to hide her laughter and failed miserably.

I smiled reassuringly at her and headed out the door with my brother and father. I had to admit it, James was pretty brave for a human. He saw us coming and straightened up, anticipating our arrival. He didn't feel fear or start to drive off.

Of course, the only emotion I could ever get from him was lust and since Bella wasn't here, I couldn't feel anything at all. Despite the bravado I put up, I shuddered internally - it was just too creepy to be approaching an empty vessel. It was alarming.

And the fact that he didn't show any fear or his heart wasn't accelerating due to adrenaline was probably because he was crazy and was on medication.

Carlisle, Emmett and I reached his car and James stepped out. He didn't look the least bit fazed by us. Instead, he kept his head held high even when Emmett bared his teeth at him.

Surprising. Even grizzly bears were shaken by Emmett.

Carlisle was the first to speak. "Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you to leave the premises," he spoke formally. I could detect the underlying anger in his voice, though. "You are on private property. It's incredibly inappropriate for you to be staring at my house, doing nothing."

James stared at Carlisle for a good ten seconds before smiling innocently. I glared at him. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention," he said, his voice polite. It was as if we had bumped into each other at the store and were having a normal conversation - which was the farthest thing from the truth.

Emmett snorted. "Then what _was _your intention, exactly?" I asked him sharply, my tone sarcastic.

James shrugged. "I was waiting for Bella to come out," he answered simply, as if this resolved everything. "I parked so close - I knew she'd notice I was here at some point. I wanted to talk to her." Turning to Carlisle, he said, "Edward never gave me a chance in school."

As if that justified his stalker-like actions.

Emmett stepped forward and loomed over James. Even though the guy was tall, Emmett's hulking figure was even bigger. "Listen, pal. My sister doesn't even like you. Why don't you just get into your car and get the hell out of here?" he growled.

I placed a hand on Emmett's shoulder to calm him but in all honesty, James was angering me too much for it to work. I think I was accidentally fuelling Emmett's anger, more than anything.

Carlisle's smooth façade was long gone. In its place was a serious, almost furious, expression I rarely saw on him. "For good reason, too," he said coolly, in response to James's earlier statement. "Mr. Hunter, you really need to leave or I will call the police. My daughter has expressed no interest in you. In fact, she's told me numerous times how your actions have scared her and it's disrupting her peace of mind for you to be staying around on our _private_ land. I will not repeat myself again."

James smile had slipped off. I expected him to be angry or lash out. Instead, he only stared at Carlisle as if he didn't understand a single word. I tried sending waves of fear to him and was pleasantly surprised when it worked.

James blinked a few times then stumbled backward a little. "I'll leave," he mumbled, slipping back inside his car. Carlisle, Emmett and I didn't move an inch until we were sure he was gone.

We shared a look and headed back inside. The others had particularly tuned in to our conversation so they weren't surprised by our appearance. Only Bella looked at us anxiously. Emmett flexed his muscles and gave her a cocky grin. "Fear not, little one," he said exaggeratingly. "Your big brother has saved the day!"

Bella chuckled and rolled her eyes. "So Jazz and dad took care of it, huh?" she said knowingly. Emmett scowled and went back, sulking, to Rose.

As much as I hated to admit it, even though it seemed like we had driven the human away, I knew that it was just the beginning.

* * *

_James' POV_

I slammed the door to my apartment and stalked to my bedroom, fuming. How _dare _they deny me the right to my beloved? She was to be mine, not Edward Cullen's, _mine_. How could they not see it? How could they not understand it?

I understood everything now. Rachel. Dana. Melanie…Those girls were nothing. They only wanted me for impure reasons. Their love was so fleeting, it was hardly there.

But Bella…Oh, sweet Bella. She was an angel, sent from the great beyond. She was a creation that nobody deserved.

Well, nobody except _me_, of course.

She was _made _for me. From her shiny brown hair to her full pink lips to her lithe, slightly curvy body and those creamy, long legs…She clearly belonged by my side.

I saw the way she looked at me. I saw how confused she was by the situation. She hated Cullen, I knew it. I saw the revulsion in her eyes when she looked at him.

The love and adoration she had in her eyes when she gazed at _me_, on the other hand…God, I could have died from it.

I knew now how I'd wasted my time with Rachel, Dana and Melanie. Mother used to tell me all the time how what I was doing was so wrong. I should never had bothered with them at all. I should have left them alone.

I should have waited until Bella came into my life.

How was I supposed to know that I was going to fall so helplessly in love?

The thought of those girls made me angrier than I already was. They'd stolen my attention, made me impure. I was supposed to be pure, just for Bella. This wasn't supposed to happen…I slammed my fist against the wall, not even feeling the pain that had to have come with the force of the hit.

Everything I felt now was for her.

I walked towards my bedside drawer and took out the medicine I had to take to keep the voices away. They always mocked me, remind me of the previous loves of my life. I didn't want to be reminded of them.

These voices…I wanted more than anything for them to stop. I'd always had these voices, it seemed. They were pretty dull when my father left us. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, they grew stronger.

When I met Rachel, the voices completely took over. I vaguely remembered our break-up. How she had pleaded with me. How she had clung on to me, her blood staining my shirt, her eyes wide with fear at the thought of my abandoning her. I remembered bits and pieces after that, but Rachel and I weren't meant to be.

I remembered the woods that I brought her to. I had brought her there for her to rest. I remembered how quiet she had become when I'd taken her there. I supposed she was just tired after our little fight. I didn't really remember what happened after that.

I'd taken mother and brought her to New York. That's where I met Dana and Melanie.

Like I said, though, none of them compared to sweet Bella. The voices had never been this loud. The impulse to take her right in the middle of the school had never been so strong.

It didn't matter that we had all of these complications ahead of us. I knew what I wanted and I was going to get it.

I opened the bottles and took out the pills I needed. Grimacing, I swallowed and went to sit on my bed. After a few seconds, the roar of voices in my head dulled a little. I smiled and stood up.

After that little…Unfortunate setback at Bella's house, I needed to get out and clear my head a little. I needed to just unwind. I knew just where to get that sort of reprieve.

I pulled out my cell phone as I walked down the hallway leading to my apartment. I found the number I was looking for and pressed to call. I was already in the elevator when someone answered.

"Hello?"

I paused for a moment. "Is this Kayla Hendricks?" I asked, faking a shy tone.

The voice at the other end answered almost immediately - she recognized my voice. We had, after all, conversed quite a bit in school. She was under the impression that I wanted her.

How silly of her.

"Yes! Yes, it is," she answered, a little too eagerly. Bella would've never sounded like that. She cleared her throat then and faked nonchalance. "Why? Who's asking?"

I smiled grimly to myself. "It's James. From school? I was just…Wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight," I paused in all the right places, alternating between confidence and the awkwardness that so many boys my age had. I'd learned to do it all for Melanie's older sister, the one she lived with. Poor little thing had been such a curious cat. I couldn't have that, of course…But that was another story for another day.

Kayla seemed ecstatic. "Sure! Yeah. I just have to ask my dad but I'm sure he'll say yes. When do you want to meet?"

I bit my lip. Her father…I groaned inwardly. Kayla was one of the cheerleaders in Forks High. They didn't have much of a cheerleading team but Kayla thought herself to be one of the 'in crowd'. She was constantly changing boyfriends, constantly flirting and bragging about her exploits. She was a little wild, too - drinking at parties, making out with boys she didn't really know, having sex left and right. The typical 'rebellious' teenage girl.

I wouldn't have pegged her for a girl who would ask her father for permission to go out.

I gave a pathetic sigh which she 'observantly' picked up on. "It's just that…I don't want anyone to know we're going out yet. I want to surprise them. Could you not tell your dad? I promise I'll talk to him the next time I pick you up…Could this be…Our little secret for now?"

The magic words, really.

What girl didn't want to be in some version, however lame it was, of Romeo and Juliet?

She readily agreed, giggling the whole time. It made me cringe. Bella hardly ever giggled. When she laughed, it was this beautiful sound - like bells in the distance, chiming, with a smoky undertone.

I made the necessary arrangements then drove around for a bit. I didn't get her anything - no flowers or candy or gifts. Kayla didn't deserve any of that. If I were to shower anyone my affections, it would be Bella.

An hour later had me at her driveway. Kayla showed up a few seconds after I pulled up - I didn't have to wait or even do the formalities with her father. Thank God.

She wore a red mini skirt and a black spaghetti strap top, with black heels to match. I was disgruntled by this - Bella would've never worn anything like that.

Her hair, though, was a deep shade of brown. Just like her eyes. They were nothing compared to Bella's stunning mahogany locks or the swirling deep chocolate orbs she used to gaze at me with love, but they'd do.

Kayla climbed into the car and flashed me a bright smile. "Where are we going?" she asked me brightly.

"I thought we'd go to my place. Watch a movie, hang out, that sort of thing…" I trailed off, pretending as though I was embarrassed I hadn't think my plans through. "Unless you don't want that? Because I just figured we'd have more privacy and…"

She stopped me then. "I'm _more _than fine with it," she assured me, the implications clear. I grinned back at her and revved the engine, heading back towards the direction I came from.

We were halfway to my house when I remembered my wall full of Bella's pictures. That would be hard to explain…The others hadn't made it through my front door.

I made a quick change of plans, making a turn towards the edge of the woods. When we reached the secluded spot I had taken Janine, the girl I'd met at the store near my apartment, and the blonde chick whose name I never caught, Kayla shot me a questioning look, but she was still trusting, popping her gum like it was nobody's business. "I thought we were going to your apartment?" she asked.

I shrugged, smiling that placating smile I was so good at. "I thought we could just sit out here. Talk and stuff…You know," I sounded laid-back.

Kayla grinned, nodding. "Well, this is a great spot," she admitted, peering through the windows and the windshield. "What, you take all your girls here?" she asked, her tone teasing.

I gave her a meaningful look, leaning in. "Only the ones I like," I assured her, my voice coming out in a hushed whisper.

When my lips finally touched hers, I imagined it to be softer, and the lower lip to be fuller. I imagined her tasting like strawberries, the same scent as Bella's shampoo, instead of the mint-y flavor of her gum.

When I pulled her closer, I imagined her to be softer to the touch. She shouldn't be so grope-y, either. Bella was so innocent…She would be shy and awkward and would depend on me to take the lead. Even then, I imagined her being bashful. It would be okay, though - I'd always reassure her that my love for her was something meant to be. She never had to be afraid of it.

I pulled back after a while. Kayla's face instead of Bella brought me back to my surroundings. I felt a surge of anger.

Just another insignificant girl. Just another one.

When was I going to have the real thing with me? This was taking too much time. The longest I'd ever taken to get a girl to stay by me loyally was three weeks and Bella was surpassing all of that.

The dull whisper of voices was steadily rising again and I winced, pressing my fingers to my temple and rubbing hard, as if that would make them disappear again.

Kayla, who had been grinning idiotically, looked concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked, placing her hand on my arm.

I shrugged it off, ignoring the hurt look on her face. It was all wrong, anyway. "Yeah, I'm fine," I snapped. At her shocked look, I backtracked. "Sorry. I'm just having a terrible migraine." With another placating smile sent her way, she was sold. This was too easy.

"Maybe I should get some fresh air," I suggested casually. "Do you want to go for a walk with me?"

Kayla glanced outside nervously. "Oh, I don't know…I mean, it's dark out already. Isn't that kinda dangerous? Going into the woods at night?"

I laughed it off. "Oh, come on," I teased, rolling my eyes. "You won't be alone. I've got a flashlight, look…" As if to prove my point, I reached into the glove compartment and pulled out said flashlight, flicking it on to show her that it was working just fine. "Besides, I've been here tons of time. Hiking and whatnot. I know a trail. It's perfectly safe."

She still looked reluctant so I leaned forward and kissed her again. "Trust me," I gave her a smile before climbing out the door. I knew she'd follow.

I started walking, flashlight shining, but I didn't have to wait long to hear Kayla's eager footsteps following me. Like leading a lamb to slaughter, really.

We walked a little ways into the woods, until we reached a crossroads. Kayla immediately went for the clear, paved trail. I took her by the elbow and pulled her back to me, careful not to be too rough - she might get scared and back off. She seemed to be the kind who would get scared easily.

_Seems like a screamer, too_.

Kayla shot me a curious look which quickly turned into one of shock when she realized that I was leading her in the direction of the other path - the one that had messy, tangled vines and erratically placed rocks and fallen logs in the way. Clearly, the one less taken.

"James?" she called out and it took everything I had not to snap at her. "Don't you think we should take the other one? It has a hiking trail and everything."

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to calm down. _Don't blow up at her. Not now, not now_. The voices in my head, the ones screaming and clawing to get out and ruin my life, were starting to seep back in.

I repressed them as well as I could so that they were just an annoying, dull hum at the back of my mind.

"It's fine. I go here all the time."

Kayla stared at me for a moment, then pulled her hand back. "I think you should take me home," she said, and pouted, glaring at me. Her arms were crossed and she didn't look too happy.

I sighed. "Kayla, I'm sorry," I said, lowering my voice to sound not as angry as I felt - and knew I must've looked earlier - and more seductive. I stepped closer to her, bracing my hands on each side of her face, "I really do want to spend time with you. I swear, it's that damn headache. Give me a chance?"

She tried to stare me down, but I was giving her soft kisses now. She couldn't resist that. None of the others had, either. So easy to trick, so easy to lure. I needed a bigger challenge.

She sighed when I pulled away, but it was a contented one. "Okay, fine," she agreed, just like I knew she would. "But are you sure about this?"

I nodded. "Positive," I said firmly, even throwing in a smile to prove to her that I was a nice guy. "I know this nice spot…C'mon, I'll show you. You have to see what I mean."

Kayla chose to hang all over me the rest of the trip. She clutched to my arm, squealed in fright at the sight of an owl and wouldn't stop blabbering about the latest scandal in her circle of friends and team mates.

Thank God the trip lasted only ten minutes or so.

We reached a little clearing, with tall, pine trees and fallen logs, but it had a nice empty center that shone a little from the moon shining brightly. There was even a connecting stream, the sound of trickling water blatantly obvious since the only other noise was the crickets chirping every now and then.

Kayla finally unlatched her fingernails from my arm, and walked ahead of me. She was looking around the place, taking in the details. "It's kinda nice," she commented off-handedly. I kept my eyes locked to her figure, her back turned to me, as I turned off the flashlight. The moonlight was bright enough for me.

I stepped closer to Kayla, without her noticing. She was still talking about something or the other. God. Didn't these girls ever learn to _shut up_!

Bella would never keep babbling on and on about nonsensical rubbish.

The thought of Bella, an image of her wrapped in pretty boy's arms, her family forbidding us to be together…That sent me over the edge. It made me so angry I literally saw red clouding up my vision.

I dropped the flashlight to the ground, a few feet away from where I was standing behind Kayla. I reached into my pocket and fingered the pocketknife I kept with me at all times.

"Yeah, it is," I agreed with her absentmindedly on something or the other. She started at the sound of my voice so close to her, and turned to face me. Her eyes still held no fear, just excitement, and I played up my own expression to match hers. "C'mere," I said in a playful tone, wrapping my arms around her waist and tugging her to me.

She squealed, a loud and painful sound, and fell into me, her hands dropping to my chest. "James!" she mock chided.

I shrugged, not the least bit repentant. I leaned in, pressing my mouth to hers. I didn't have the patience tonight to pretend I actually cared about her.

It wasn't long before my anger returned at the fact that this kiss, this moment, was not the one I wanted. It wasn't the one I craved.

My lips turned rough, savagely attacking hers, and my left hand slid into her hair, pulling hard. She gasped, pulling back slightly in pain. Her eyes finally showed a slight hint of fear. Panic appeared on her face when she saw the angry, hard look on my face.

"James-" she whimpered, but I was past caring.

I growled a little, the sound harsh and causing her to flinch back. "Shut up!" I snapped at her, not seeing the tears that had accumulated in her eyes.

My fingers tightened around her waist, keeping her firmly in my embrace as she started to struggle. "Let go of me!" Kayla screamed, struggling even harder now. Thank God it was so secluded here - no one had hears the screams before, and no one would hear the screams now.

"Stay still, dammit!" I was growing agitated at her constant squirming. When she didn't listen to what I said and openly defied me, I lost what little patience I had with her. Pulling my hand back, I smacked her hard across the cheek.

She gasped, falling to the forest floor, one hand pressed to her cheek. She lifted her head and looked up at my towering form with red, watery eyes.

"Now just shut up and stay still, Kayla," I said, reaching into my pocket as I bend down next to her. I pulled out the knife, flicking it open. The silver glinted in the soft moon light, and Kayla's eyes widened at the sight of it.

She let out a scream at it and tried to inch backwards, but I restrained her with an arm flung across her middle, trapping her thin arms to her sides. I waved the knife in her face threateningly when she started to kick her legs. "Ah, ah," I warned, and she immediately ceased the kicking.

"Don't make me angry, Kayla," I said, aware that my voice had grown cold. "You won't like me when I'm angry."

She started to sob when I pressed the knife to her middle, expecting me to stab her. Instead, I sliced open her shirt, exposing her to the cold wind, and to me.

She started to sob harder when she realized what I wanted to do. "Please, don't," she begged. "Please, please. Just let me go, James. I won't tell anyone. Please."

I backhanded her again, the tip of the knife grazing her cheek. She let out a small cry of pain as blood started to seep out from the small gash.

I heeded no mind to that, returning to my task. I gripped her skirt, letting my knife slash through the flimsy material.

I was right about Kayla - she was a screamer.

She was different than the others. Mostly because I was so close to Bella now. It was as if the satisfaction Kayla willingly gave to me wasn't enough. I needed the real thing now.

Nothing else could compare, could it?

I could just imagine Bella with me. She wouldn't be brought here. No. These were where all the others had been. I wouldn't taint her like that. She was special. She had to be treated like she was special.

I'd bring her back to my place, so I could show her my wall. I could show her how much I adored her. She would love it, and her love for me would only be cemented further.

I would take her to my bed. She would most likely be wearing a dress. I noticed she wore dresses a lot lately. I'd asked her about it once and she'd mentioned something about her sister 'updating' her wardrobe.

Her dress would probably be blue. She looked amazing in blue. I wouldn't use my knife. She wouldn't try to make it harder on me. She would be pliant and wonderful and beautiful.

Just imagining the look in her eyes, the expression on her face, when I'd slide into her, slide home…God, it was ecstasy. My eyes rolled back into my head as I pictured her moaning loudly, her sweet voice screaming out my name over and over again. God, she would be loud, too.

I knew she would. The quiet ones were always the loudest.

I was brought back to reality as the last of my shudders left my body. I looked down, pulling out of Kayla as soon as I'd emptied everything into her. She was barely breathing now, and I knew it was because she was so worn out, so tired after everything we'd done together.

Her skin was marred a little by red trails of blood, but a little rough sex was good every now and then. I knew she appreciated it.

Kayla was whimpering a little, tears still making their way down her pale cheeks. She looked even paler than before.

"Shh, shh," I cooed to her, hovering above her with my knees on either side of her. "It'll be fine. Just rest."

She started crying again, which I didn't get. Were girls always this weepy during sex?

I didn't actually like Kayla, but she'd been good to me tonight, so I thought she deserved even a little gratitude. I smoothed my hand down the sides of her head, feeling her soft hair beneath my fingers.

"I'll help you sleep," I offered in a soft voice. "Would you like that?" She didn't answer, so I took that as a yes.

I reached for my knife, feeling the soothing effect the weight of it in my palm had on me. Kayla had another scream left in her, though it wasn't as loud as before, as I helped ease her into sleep. I hummed the lullaby my mother had sung to me when I was little, and it seemed to be doing the effect.

I chuckled a little when I saw her in my arms, asleep with her eyes wide open and glassy. There was a little trail of blood dripping down the side of her mouth, down her cheek. I rolled my eyes at that a little.

"Messy, messy," I scolded gently, standing up. I left her there to rest for a little while longer as I went behind the tallest tree there. I'd hidden a knapsack for whenever I might need it. A change of clothes, towels, that sort of thing. Right next to it was a shovel, which I grabbed and jogged back towards Kayla.

I continued humming - a relaxing technique for me - and started to dig a foot away from where I knew Janine was sleeping peacefully. When the hole in the ground was deep enough, I climbed out of it and threw the shovel aside. I walked over to Kayla and lifted her into my arms. She stayed limp, still so lazy, and I walked back over to the grave.

I placed her inside and begun shoveling the dirt back into place.

When I was done, the night was considerably darker than before. Fog was even starting to sink in. I reached for a simple, small yellow flower growing from one of the shrubs nearby and planted it at the very top where I knew Kayla's head was. Janine and the others had similar flowers.

I smiled to myself as I stretched, popping my stiff muscles. I returned the shovel to its original spot and grabbed the knapsack and my knife. I headed for the stream, placing the items on the dirt-covered earth before placing my hands underneath the streaming water. The cool water made me shiver slightly, but I mostly ignored it and started cleaning up myself.

The redness was a little hard to scrub off - sticky and wet. But I managed. The red liquid covering my knife was slightly easier. Slightly.

My shirt was ruined. I eyed it in disdain. Kayla was a scratcher - her nails had even done damage to my chest and back. She'd clawed me throughout our entire time together. Frankly, she should have shorter nails. Those were less painful.

I threw my shirt to the ground and reached into my knapsack for a clean shirt. My jeans were splattered with her blood, too, so I exchanged those for a cleaner pair.

I stuffed my knife back in my pocket, newly cleaned, and crammed my soiled clothes into the knapsack. The stains wouldn't come off easily so I should probably just burn them.

I sighed, rolling my eyes skyward. I'd really liked that shirt.

I swung the knapsack over my shoulder and stood up, dusting off the knees of my jeans. I whistled to a random tune that had popped into my head as I made my trek back to where my car was.

Images of Bella begun to fill my head once more. But because of Kayla's help, I wasn't as angry or out of control as before. In fact, I was even happy thinking about her. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I broke down her walls and gave her enough courage to leave her pale ass of a boyfriend. We'd run off together, like some perfect fairytale romance.

_Yes. Soon._

In the meantime, I would just have to make sure that she knew just how much I loved and adored her.

My lovely Isabella. What shall my next gift to you be?

* * *

_Carlisle's POV_

Not even Jasper knew just how frightened I was. It wasn't the kind of fear I felt when we had our occasional fights with certain vampires. It wasn't fear for my life, my wife or my family.

In a way, it was almost similar. I was so afraid I'd lose my daughter. As horrible as it was to imagine Bella losing the ability to live out her human life, we had all gotten used to thinking that we would have her with us for eternity. The decision had been made so long ago.

I didn't know how long 'eternity' was going to last. I didn't know if we'd all get involved in some war that would destroy us all or if earth would get fried by the sun and kill us all or if something else was going to happen to end it.

I knew it was a confusing thing to think about but I had to believe that eternity would come to an end at some point. Be it a hundred years from now, a thousand years or even a hundred thousand years.

The thing was, our family was finally complete. No matter when eternity would come to an end or even if it did in the first place, I counted on having plenty of happy memories to tide us over.

I never thought of a human threat. I'd always just assumed everything would flow as smoothly as it had always had. We moved from one place to another, undetected. Our lies, or deceptions, our cover-ups were so flawless, even the best of the humans couldn't even dream of catching us. We were fairly honest, the way we made our money. It was just the trickery of our existence that needed to be done.

Occasionally, people would get suspicious. I remembered living in Ithaca in 1952. A coworker at the hospital I worked in at the time was very suspicious of me. I had been there for eight years and I looked exactly the same as the first day I started. Of course, her assumptions were far from the truth. She'd thought I had the elixir of life. Nothing about vampires. The only reason she got so close was because she had a sort of infatuation with me.

We had all moved after a few weeks. It was time to move on, anyway. We'd lived there for too long. Once or twice, a human would get close and they'd notice the stranger things about us. So, yes, I was prepared to make another escape if such a thing were to happen again.

But this was beyond anything I'd ever experience. A stalker. A human that was out to get Bella. I sighed and rubbed my temples warily. Sometimes I think she just attracted danger to her like a magnet.

My wife came in through my office door and smiled understandingly at me. My whole body sighed in relief at the sight of her. If only for a while, my troubles left me when she entered.

Esme came forward and sat on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her smile made me smile, too. "Don't worry, Carlisle," she said gently, her warm voice soothing me. "We'll make it through this. All of us."

I opened my mouth to voice all my worries but my phone started to ring. I grabbed it and flipped it open. My body tensed as I saw the caller ID. _Capt. Matt Sung_.

Esme rubbed my shoulder comfortingly as I answered the call. "Carlisle Cullen," I said curtly into the phone, waiting edgily for the news that awaited me.

* * *

So…What do you think? Not too shabby, I hope. I know Carlisle's POV was short - I guess it's just meant to create a little bit of a cliffhanger. I promise there will be Edward/Bella in the next chapter, as well as progress in the James department.

Just a little note here, to recommend amazing stories by amazing writers:

If you want to read an awesome story, check out **Destiny Awaits**. I found it a while ago and am on tenterhooks waiting for the next update every time. I just love the concept. Not to mention, Destiny Awaits is probably, in my opinion, one of the best Jasper and Bella fic there is. Then there's also **The Courtyard**, which is an alternate way for Bella to save Edward at the end of NM. It's filled with a helluva lot of smutty goodness, and I love it.

P.S. - My walls have crumbled! Thanks to the amazing Bella/Sam story entitled '**Wolfing Around**' by **persephone-kore2593**, I am now Team Switzerland. I will never like Bella/Jacob, though, cuz that's just…It doesn't work for me. I view them as best friends. He was better like that. When he was pursuing her, he became a jerk.

My point is, I love the pups - LOL - and I'm going to do a werewolf imprinting story once everything is done and I can find time to create a more original plotline for it. It's either Sam/Bella or Paul/Bella, because Seth, Collin, Brady - as well as Quil and Embry even though they're Jake's age - are too young, Jake annoys me when he wants to get romantic with Bella and Jared and Kim are kinda perfect together.

I already have an outline done for a Sam/Bella fiction, and a Paul/Bella fiction. I won't be writing or posting them right now, since I have much on my plate finishing updating the rest of my stories first, but I'm still planning on writing them soon. I'm not sure whether to post one or both, but I want to know which one you guys want to read about.

I don't know if I would do a good job with a pack story, but I promise to make it worth your while as much as I can, if I do start writing/posting one…

So I need your opinion on which story you would like to read. Who should the werewolf be? I don't want it to be Jake, though they would be real close besties in the story - that's just how it should be. It can't be Seth because, come on, he's like the cutest younger brother there is.

So tell me what you think. Which werewolf do you want? Or do you think I should scrap the story ideas I already wrote down and write new ones? Should I create a totally yummy Quileute? Create a totally yummy werewolf from the Makah reservation? Tell me, tell me, tell me! Gosh, I feel like Alice.

Please read and review. Thank you so much.

Juliet.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N:** Next chapter! Bet ya thought I was gonna disappear for over a year again, didn't you? LOL. I just wanted to say, for those of you who completely panicked because I hadn't updated in over a month, that I will finish this story and that I won't take months and months or even years to do so, but I can't update every day. I'll try my best to do it as quickly as possible, though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

For those of you who have forgotten, due to lack of updates before, Alice is unable to see anything regarding James since he's so 'unstable' that his actions were instinctual, and there weren't a lot of decisions made. There's more to him that I can't reveal as of yet but it's there.

**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all.

**POVs:** 3rd person POV, Unknown POV, Edward's POV.

* * *

Previously…

_Esme came forward and sat on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her smile made me smile, too. "Don't worry, Carlisle," she said gently, her warm voice soothing me. "We'll make it through this. All of us."_

_I opened my mouth to voice all my worries but my phone started to ring. I grabbed it and flipped it open. My body tensed as I saw the caller ID. Capt. Matt Sung._

_Esme rubbed my shoulder comfortingly as I answered the call. "Carlisle Cullen," I said curtly into the phone, waiting edgily for the news that awaited me._

**General POV:**

"Carlisle, it's Sung," came the stern voice of Carlisle's friend from the SPD. "I've got news but you're not going to like it."

Carlisle cringed. He'd already figured as much. "Just tell me," he urged, bracing himself for the worst.

Matt Sung sighed on the other end of the line. He had known Dr. Carlisle Cullen for just a few years, but he knew Carlisle was a good man. The man seemed to hold his values strongly, and he took to saving lives on a higher level than most people Sung had ever known. He even owed his current position at the SPD to Carlisle, but that was another story for another time.

"I did a background check on James Hunter, like you requested," Sung answered Carlisle's question wearily. He knew that if Carlisle was asking him for a favor – especially one like this, which involved him using his connections on the police force to carry out – there had to be a reason behind it.

"And?"

"James Hunter, 18 years old, born and raised in New York City by a single mother, Marissa Hunter…He's bad news, Carlisle."

"How bad?"

"'Brought in for the investigation of several cases involving girls disappearing' bad," Sung clarified grimly. "Six in total. Three of them were his neighbors, two co-workers in two separate work places and one of a woman who had filed a report stating that Hunter was stalking her…Roommate said she wanted to take out a restraining order against Hunter, but she went to work, never returned."

Carlisle sucked in a deep breath, running a hand down his face at the news Sung was delivering. Esme, still perched on his lap, ran her fingers soothingly through his golden hair, even if she too was worried beyond belief. "Was he ever convicted?"

"He wasn't even charged," Sung scoffed. "There wasn't any evidence of him being involved – roommates or friends would comment that the victims would mention Hunter's obsession with them, but nothing ever came out of it. He's smart. He doesn't leave trails. It's like he's untouchable, invisible…"

"What about the fact that he was linked to six disappearances?"

"Carlisle, they wanted to take him in, but without evidence, they couldn't charge him," Sung reminded him, his tone rational.

Carlisle sighed. "Yes, I know."

Sung stayed silent for a few moments before he decided to just ask why Carlisle had taken such an interest in this particular case. "Why did you ask me to do a background check on Hunter?" Sung asked him curiously. "I know he's moved to Forks…You worried for your daughters?"

"Just one," Carlisle admitted, knowing that it was time for him to involve the police. "It seems like Hunter has become strangely obsessed with my youngest."

Sung's expression fell, a solemn grimace forming on his lips. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle," he said sincerely. "I'll do everything I can to help protect your family."

"Thank you, Matt," Carlisle smiled slightly. "Hunter has been leaving several gifts for Bella…I'm not sure if that's enough…"

"Not enough to throw him in jail, that's for sure," Sung informed him. "But could be enough for a restraining order against him."

* * *

Alice sat on the loveseat, cross-legged. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The place might be chaotic at the moment, what with Emmett and Rosalie right there in the room fighting - _loudly_ - over the remote, Edward and Jasper 'discussing' their latest wrestling match and the music from Bella's iPod practically making Alice's ears bleed, but she needed to calm down.

Placing her hands on her knees, Alice forced herself to relax and concentrate. She needed to see into James' future. This being blind thing wasn't a good thing at all. She hated it with a passion. She could only see bits and pieces of his future and it bothered her, especially since he was so determined to be a part of her sister's life.

Hysteria crept into Alice's body as she thought about the things he could do to Bella.

Their defenses didn't always lie in their physical strength.

Alice had always been able to tell if danger was on the horizon. Edward would be able to read the minds of their enemies and Jasper could always gauge their emotions, their lies, their truths. Their battle strategy depended on their gifts to an extent.

Right now, all three of them were stripped of their gifts when it concerned James, and it scared all of them. A part of their defense system was down. They had to wait it out and see what would happen, _then_ plan out their tactics.

Mostly, they'd be relying on brute strength.

It wasn't a good feeling; this anxiety, this fear.

Jasper, noticing Alice's mounting anxiety, forewent his discussion with Edward to focus on her. He sent her a small jolt of serenity, wrapping his arm around her small frame and kissing her cheek gently. "Alice, calm down," he said quietly. "You're not going to be able to get anything if you keep panicking."

"God, this is so frustrating," Alice grumbled, rubbing her temples as though she actually had a headache.

"What is?" Bella asked as she stroked Lilly's fur, the cat cuddled up on her lap. Lilly had been feeling really odd lately and nothing Bella did would cheer her up. It was starting to be really worrying.

Alice shook her head, scowling at nothing in particular. "Edward doesn't want me to tell you," she tattled on her 'brother' easily, sticking her tongue out at him where he sat next to his human mate. "He's worried you'll be too much of a scaredy-cat to handle the truth."

Bella shot Edward a look. He had stiffened up in his seat and was shooting Alice a glare. "Alice!" he hissed.

Bella chuckled. "Thanks for the overprotective measures, Edward," she reached out and patted his cheek gently. "But it's not necessary. I want to know."

That last bit was directed at an agitated Alice, who was more than happy to divulge in her frustrations to her best friend, "I can't get any visions of James."

Bella frowned. "As annoying as that must be for you-"

"_Very_ annoying," Alice interjected.

"-that's not exactly news," she pointed out. "You haven't been able to see James since the beginning."

Alice sighed despondently, "True."

Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice, pulling her to him. She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in. It worked like a charm and she pulled back, staring up into his breathtaking butterscotch eyes.

He smiled at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. "It'll be okay, Alice," he assured her. "Even without our gifts, we'd be able to protect her. She's our sister, our family. Don't forget, Alice, we have the strength of seven vampires on our side. This one single _human_ can't do much damage, even if he is crazier than most people."

Alice nodded her head slowly. "When you put it like that…" she trailed off, mulling over his words.

It made sense, of course, that they would be able to overthrow one measly human. It was laughable that James thought he could actually corner them and overpower them. He just wasn't strong enough. He wasn't enough to even handle Alice, the smallest vampire in the family. How was he supposed to handle all of them put together?

With one flick of Alice's wrist, she could snap his neck.

But that wasn't how they were going to handle this.

They were going by human laws. Too many people were involved in this now.

The entire student population of Forks High had seen James around Bella, had seen the obvious lust he felt for her. He'd given her a gift and she'd return it to him publicly. Mike Newton had commented on his 'bravery' at approaching a Cullen girl. Carlisle had even approached a human police officer about James.

If they were to handle James their way and he were to suddenly disappear, too many questions would be asked. Not to mention the fact that his infatuation with Bella had been alerted to the police captain of the SPD, no less.

On one hand, it was incredibly smart of Carlisle to alert the police and let them handle this. It would give the Cullens more information and it would mean that none of them would bear the burden of another human life on their hands. Bella wouldn't feel guilty about it, either, the way all of them knew she would feel if one of them were to kill James.

On the other hand, it was stupid.

If something drastic were to occur, they would have no way of knowing until the last possible second and they'd have no way of preventing it. What, were they supposed to massacre the entire state now?

There were just too many variables. Too many factors. Too many things that could go wrong.

Alice bit her lip and looked back up into Jasper's eyes.

"I don't know, Jazz," she said uneasily. "I know I can't see and maybe this is just anxiety but I can't help but feel like…We're underestimating him somehow. We're missing something, a _very big_ something, and I just don't know what it is."

Worry was shining in his eyes now but he set his jaw and nodded. "We'll figure it out," he said determinedly. "Don't worry, Alice. Nothing bad's going to happen to any one of us. I won't let it."

He spoke with such conviction that she immediately believed him. He was right, of course. Whatever it was, they'd handle it. Nothing would happen to their family.

So, pushing the thoughts of missing puzzle pieces to the back of her head, Alice laid back and allowed herself the comfort of Jasper's touch.

Sometime between Bella wanting to watch the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy and having Rosalie back her up, and Emmett ignoring both women and turning on ESPN, a vision flashed through Alice's mind, causing her to frown.

Jasper noticed - then again, he very rarely didn't notice anything concerning Alice. He was so very attuned to her, which she loved.

"What's wrong, darling?" he asked, sitting up straighter as he registered my frustration and confusion. Alice shook her head, trying to clear it, blinking a little. "Is it James? Something to do with Bella?"

Alice smiled a little at him to reassure him, though her smile was half-hearted. "No, it's not James or Bella," she said, causing him to relax minimally.

"Then what is it?" he seemed wary.

Alice sighed. "I've just been getting random visions…It's giving me an almost headache," she complained.

"What are the random visions about?" Emmett asked from his spot on the floor, pointer finger pressing the channel button repeatedly as he flipped through the channels at a maddening pace. "Are they 'strange family out in Nowheresville eating dinner' random, or 'clown scaring little children' random?"

Alice looked up at him, eyebrow raised and a pained expression on her face. "How do you even come up with something like that?" she muttered, her question rhetorical.

Pausing, she added, "Clown," answering his strange question.

"Huh."

"It's more of these…People," Alice continued. "Some of these visions are of people I'd never seen before, lying there, dead-"

Emmett snorted. "I see dead people," he intoned in the perfect Haley Joel Osment imitation. When no one laughed with him, and Lilly merely let out a depressed sort of meow, Emmett scowled. "Tough crowd," he muttered, returning to channel surfing.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Anyway, like I was saying…Either they're already dead, or they're being taken…My visions are sort of hazy when that happens, like something's blocking me from seeing the whole picture…" she shook her head. "What the hell is the point of being clairvoyant when everything's blocking my third eye?"

Bella wrinkled her nose. "Third eye? Really, Alice?"

Alice glared at her.

Bella stifled her laughter. "Sorry," she adopted a somber tone. "Listen, I'm sorry that you're having such a hard time…Is there anything I can do?"

Alice shook her head, sighing, "No, I just need to figure out what these visions mean."

"You don't think it has any connection to James, do you?" Rosalie asked sharply, amber eyes fixed on her sister.

"No, no way," Alice assured Rosalie. "Those dead bodies had definitely been drained of blood – it's the work of vampires."

Jasper, next to Alice, started. "Are these murders happening nearby?"

"I can't tell for sure," Alice murmured, her eyes sliding shut as she focused on the latest string of visions she had gotten, her mind taking in every detail presented to her, clear or otherwise. A flash of a street name caught her eye and her eyes flew open, her head snapping around in her husband's direction.

Jasper and Edward both had tensed up – the former from the emotions that had suddenly changed, and the latter due to seeing the vision in Alice's head.

"They're in Seattle," Edward growled in reply to Jasper's silent question. "The murders."

The others in the room grew alert, tensed. "That close?" Rosalie asked, not at all pleased by that.

Alice nodded. "I'm sure of it," she answered confidently. "Who could it be, though?"

Jasper shook his head. "Does it matter? This is our territory," he reminded his mate.

Alice shot him a stern look. "This isn't back in the South, Jazz," she said softly.

"No, but most of our kind knows there's an Olympic coven – they can't hunt here, especially not when it's enough to give you visions about it."

Alice opened her mouth to argue when something on TV caught her eye. "Emmett, change back the channel…No, the news," she urged.

Emmett grumbled. "Alice, the news is boring," he complained even as he complied with her wish. "What is it?"

"…The fourth body found in the last two weeks…Police are concerned this could be the work of a serial killer…Nothing physically distinctive about the bodies…The most alarming, most intriguing coroner's report…Blood drained from the victims…"

Alice's eyes widened as she took in two out of the three sketches shown on the TV screen of the victims they had been able to identify. "Hey, I saw those two in my visions," she told the others, frowning at the screen.

The six of them stared at the TV, incredulous. "What do you think? Nomads?" Rosalie asked out loud.

Jasper shook his head. "Nomads would be more careful," he insisted. "It's sloppy – gaining such large attention from the humans…It has to be newborns."

"Newborns in Seattle," Emmett rolled his eyes. "Exactly what we need."

"Could it be the vampires you saw in your vision the other day?" Bella asked Alice, eyeing her curiously, trying to repress a shiver of fright. "When you were hunting, you said you saw a couple of vampires…Could they have been the newborns?"

Alice shook her head. "No. They were far too…_Controlled_," she said, figuring that was the best word to describe it. "Newborns would've been much more crazed with their thirst. They were definitely nomadic. Besides…They headed North. I saw that."

"They couldn't have tricked you somehow?"

Alice scoffed. "Please, Bella," she rolled her eyes, her tone suggesting that the idea was too ludicrous to even consider. "They would have to know about me and my gift to even try and evade me. We've never crossed paths before. They wouldn't know."

Edward sighed, raking his hand through his hair. "Well, if it's not them, then we have no idea who it is – newborns don't just appear out of thin air," he pointed out. "Someone must have created them."

"Someone in Seattle?" Rosalie asked uneasily.

Emmett gave her a wolfish grin. "Aw, don't worry, babe – they can't get past these babies right here," he held up his arms, flexing his muscles. In a completely idiotic move, he pressed a kiss to each bicep.

Bella rolled her eyes and shared a look with Jasper, but Rosalie merely smiled indulgently at her husband.

"Oh," Alice murmured sadly, another vision flooding her mind.

"What?"

"I saw an announcement the principal is going to make tomorrow - one of the girls from school is missing," she informed the others. "Such a sad thing."

Bella frowned, making a sympathetic sound at the back of her throat. "Anyone we know?" she asked, sounding terrified to know the answer. _Please don't let it be Angela_, she prayed silently, forgetting for a moment that she'd just spoken to her only, genuine human friend not an hour ago.

Alice shook her head. "No," she assured Bella. " You never really met her before."

Bella wasn't sure what the right response to that was, but she was pretty sure being relieved wasn't an appropriate emotion. So she merely nodded thankfully at Alice, dropping her gaze back to a mellow Lilly.

"We should probably head into Seattle tomorrow," Jasper said, jumping right back into their discussion of the nomadic vampires on a killing spree so close to their home. "Try and find…"

He was cut off, however, when Carlisle and Esme entered the room, hand in hand and wearing similar expressions of weariness. "We have some bad news," Carlisle said upon entry.

The patriarch and matriarch of the Cullen family froze in their tracks, their eyes taking in the somber mood of their 'children'.

"So do we," Edward replied, grimacing, his face growing stony as he took in what they had been thinking. _This is a very, very bad situation_…he commented to himself, his arm tightening around Bella's shoulder slightly as he tucked her closer to his body, the instinct to protect his mate becoming almost too unbearable.

* * *

**Unknown POV**

"Jazz, catch!"

My eyes narrowed as I gazed down at the coven down below. They were, yet again, in the same clearing they went to every time thunder was present. They were playing a game of baseball, as ridiculous as that sounded.

Then again, there was a lot of things about this particular coven that were ridiculous.

The fact that they drank from animals, for one.

For another - instead of preparing themselves for the vampire wars brewing yet again (in Europe this time), they were preoccupied with the protection of a single, silly human girl.

She was probably the most insignificant, clumsiest, stupidest human I had ever known to exist. She willingly stayed with a coven of vampires - animal drinkers or no, they still required blood to survive and could easily slip and drink her dry…What a merry day that would be - treating them as though they were family, playmates.

I watched as the human girl threw herself into the large, hulking vampire they called 'Emmett'. If a human ever had the gall to touch me like that, to speak to me in any way that suggested we were of the same standing…They would be dead in two seconds flat. Yet, this human girl had survived years of living with this coven.

Pathetic.

They weren't worthy of being vampires, of belonging to the strongest, most lethal species in the world. They were weak, controlled by their emotions and their desire to retain their humanity.

This was exactly why I knew I would have absolutely no trouble whatsoever taking them all out. Including the human girl.

The only one I would fight to keep relatively unharmed was the small, bubbly female. Alice.

I found Alice before any of them did, even before her blonde scarred mate did. I found Alice in the early 1900s, when her parents first threw her into the asylum back in Biloxi. She had been thinner than she was now, as strange and unbelievable as that was. She was thinner, more gaunt and looked as though she was haunted every second of every day.

I had heard, rumors spoken in hushed tones, that Mary Alice Brandon was a witch. She could see into the future, predict every thing. At first I didn't believe it, but when the rumors spiked again, saying how Mary Alice was being thrown into the mental asylum, I decided to pay her a visit. See it for myself.

The first few weeks she was in that asylum, she didn't do much but scream. I thought it was desperation on her part - desperation to get out, desperation to be accepted, to be normal, desperation to be anywhere but locked in a cell, to be anyone but her.

Then she became insanely quiet, and that was when I first allowed her to glimpse me.

The first words she threw my way told me the rumors were right. At least, partially. Mary Alice wasn't a witch, but she _was_ clairvoyant.

_The hallways were dark, badly lit, and starkly empty. It was nighttime, and only two nurses were at the front desk. Nurses who were easy for a vampire like myself to get past without them noticing at all._

_I slipped past the heavy doors leading to the cells filled with the inpatients, smiling to myself as I heard them screaming, some at nothing, some in pain, some hallucinating demons in there with them._

_Pain and fear. I took in a deep breath. Good._

_I started walking down the hallway, small, cramped cells each with one insane inhabitant inside on either side of me. Some of them merely stared at me as I passed, some barely acknowledged me, lost in their own world. Others, though, they screamed louder when they caught sight of me. I supposed my red eyes gave them fear._

_I finally reached the cell I intended to visit. Turning to face it, I kept my eyes locked on the inhabitant of the cell._

_She was crouched on the farthest wall, her back pressed to it, her knees drawn up to her chest. The plain white gown she wore, as was protocol for every female inpatient, was streaked with dirt, her hair short, chopped off messily. Her dark silver eyes, already an anomaly on their own, flickered to me the moment I walked into her line of sight, and stayed on me as I crouched down in front of her cell._

_Her expression, blank and void of any emotion before, twisted into one of fear. She stared to shake her head, her pupils dilating and growing wider and wider. "No, no, no," she mumbled, eyes flickering before they shut close. "All the blood…No, not the…Not me. There's fire everywhere. Fire everywhere…No, no, no!" she screamed, her words bleeding into one another as she spoke so fast they stumbled._

_I started to chuckle. She really was crazy._

"_Psst," I hissed at her. Entertaining as she may be, I had a job to do. If she wasn't really psychic, she was only wasting my time. "Hey, girl, look here."_

_Her silver eyes snapped open and she stared at me, fearful. "Demon," she whispered, her tone horrified. "You're a demon! Blood all over you, all over…Your hands…Demon! Demon!" she started to scream, looking around her as though she expected someone to swoop down and save her_.

A few more visits confirmed what I already suspected - she was clairvoyant and useful to me. If I changed her.

The third time I went to her, I caught a scent unlike the others in the crazy house. It was sweet, but unappealing in terms of a meal. It was cinnamon and honey. It was a scent not unlike mine.

Mary Alice had a vampire protector.

He was easy enough to get rid of, just an ancient vampire too weak in his old age and taking a human job as a doctor in the asylum.

Of course, the moment he found out I was after Mary Alice, he snatched her out of the asylum, hid her in the forest and bit her. He led me on a false trail so that when I finally caught up to 'them', I would realize that there was no 'them', just the ancient vampire. It took me some time to track them down, and by the time I found where he'd hid her, three days had passed, her change was complete and she had run off, nowhere to be found.

I was derailed as I went looking for her, running into a few old allies turned backstabbing foes - some of them, _I_ turned on - and it took me some time to recover. I hid for a while. By the time it was safe enough for me to travel again, to find Mary Alice, years had passed.

I almost gave up on her, but I continued the search with only the thought of her gift spurring me on. I had never met a true psychic before. Not even in my world was that a common gift. She was a rare, incredibly useful commodity for me, especially if rumors about an ever expanding coven expanding underground in France, wanting to overtake Europe for their own. I didn't know how or why the Volturi weren't already after them the moment the rumors started, but I wasn't going to wait until it was too late. I needed Mary Alice and her gift to help me get through the next war.

I finally saw her again, in the late 1950s. And, again, I almost gave up on her.

She wasn't alone when I saw her again. She was much less crazy and over the years, I'd discovered by conversations she's had that she couldn't remember her human life at all. Not even me. But she did have her gift, and I learnt that she had discovered how to master it - her visions were based on decisions.

Even more useful. War was all about strategy, decisions made and followed.

But I couldn't just snatch her up. She had a companion with her, a scarred blonde male I would've been afraid of even if I had no idea who he was, simply because of his dangerous vibe and the scars that showed he'd been in too many fights to count and won them all.

As it turned out, however, I did know who he was. There had been a couple of nomads I'd run into, one of them a beautiful Hispanic artist, who had drawn a picture of the 'God of War'. I'd seen the sketch, and had recognized him immediately.

As for his title…There hadn't been one vampire in our world who didn't know who the God of War was if they'd been around when the Southern wars had been waging. He was famous for being ruthless, for being the unbeatable fighter.

He didn't seem all that ruthless or unbeatable when he was next to Alice - that was the name she preferred going by, and she only knew it was her name due to her hospital bracelet on her wrist when she'd first woken up. When I first caught sight of the God of War in real life, when he was next to Alice, he just seemed out of control.

That was even more dangerous. If he was out of control, he might be even more aggressive towards me if I dared approach them.

He seemed like he was struggling with all his might not to just grab the nearest human and sink his teeth into them. His eyes had been a fading orange color, and I had no idea why he would even abstain. Of course, one look at Alice's tawny eyes told me the truth - they had mated, she was a disgusting animal drinker and he was trying to change for her.

Again - pathetic.

Still, I didn't want to risk death by approaching them, so I bid my time and finally decided that it might be better for me if I had an ally by my side. So I left them and began my search.

It wasn't an easy task, finding an ally amongst a sea of nomads. None of us were very trusting creatures, and if there was no trust, there was an almost one hundred percent guarantee that we would turn on each other.

Finally, however, I found someone I trusted just enough to help me. It was the early 1970s by the time we caught up to Alice and her mate, Jasper Whitlock. When we did, I almost screamed in frustration.

They had joined a bigger coven, with a leader almost as famous as Jasper was. Carlisle Cullen, probably the pioneer of animal drinking vampires himself. They were the Olympic Coven, known in several circles for their close friendship with the Volturi.

My companion started getting wary - he hadn't signed on to anger the Volturi, nor had he signed on to fight such a large coven. I paid him no heed. He had been the one to state boastfully that he could take out Jasper Whitlock if given the chance. That in itself was a suicide mission. If he could do it halfway, he could do it all the way.

But he was right when he said that we needed to be careful, that we needed a game plan. So we set about to create a game plan, tracking not only Alice but her warrior mate and the rest of her coven.

It was easy to go by unnoticed. Before my companion came into the picture, all I had to do was change my decisions all the time and make sure none of them had anything to do with Alice or her queer bunch of vampire family. But my companion has a gift, too. He blocks out all mental abilities, cloaking us in darkness. I made a decision once, a long time ago, just to test out this cloak of his. Alice mentioned to her mate that she felt someone was coming their way, but it was all hazy and she couldn't see a thing.

We didn't have to be so careful anymore, though we certainly kept our guard up. We had come so far, me especially, and nothing would stand in our way. I'd make sure of that.

Our combined abilities - his mental block and my own ability to erase our trails so that it would seem like we were never there in the first place, like we were invisible - worked in our favor for decades. But we were both getting restless, the war was drawing even closer according to the rumors and we were nowhere near what I'd wanted since I'd first seen scrawny little human Mary Alice Brandon.

Our restlessness, paired with our distractedness during our hunt, caused us to slip momentarily. Alice saw a brief glimpse of us - strange red-eyed nomads in the Cullen's territory. It was enough to set the entire coven on alert, even the puny stray human they'd taken in. So we decided to use her ability instead of block it this time. We 'decided' to head North, and Alice was once again off our trail, my companion's mental cloak once again in place, and my ability erasing any trails that we were ever there in case any of the Cullens decided to seek us out.

They didn't, and we were once again in the all clear.

I viewed our slip up as a sign. We had to move, and we had to move soon. I had wanted to get started on building my own newborn army. I could train that army and use it to take down the Cullens. It would definitely put my companion's worries at ease, since he was so worried that we wouldn't survive going up against such a large coven. I had to admit, I was worried about that, as well.

Besides, building and training an army now would be like practice for the big leagues.

But then something remotely interesting began to happen, disrupting the dismal lives of the most boring coven to have ever lived.

The stray human they'd brought in, all grown into a pretty adolescent girl, had acquired herself a stalker. At first, this didn't even register as a blimp on my radar, but my companion made an observation - he figured that this human boy had a gift of his own.

It wasn't possible that the human male - 'James' - had managed to get past an entire coven of vampires unnoticed, even if they were weaklings. He had to have a gift of his own, activated even just at the lowest level, when he was still human.

Just like Alice.

My interest grew.

We had already gotten started on our own army, and one of our more seasoned allies, a vampire by the name of Owen who had been changed sometime in the late 19th century, backed up my companion's theory.

Owen had an ability, too. One that proved to be incredibly useful considering he would now handpick the humans we could change without us having to go through the tedious process of changing a random human, waiting for them to go through the transformation only to discover they were a waste of time and space because they were completely talentless, not only gift-wise, but battle-wise as well.

Owen was able to sense the gifts others had. If they were vampires, he would know what abilities they had. If they human, he was able to tell what abilities they would acquire once they were turned.

In James' rare case - and Alice's when she was human - he already had a gift as a human.

James had the ability to evade. He had some sort of block, something similar to my companion's, only more extensive. Alice was completely blind to him without him even knowing about it, let alone trying to keep her out. Jasper was unable to sense his emotions, and was therefore unable to manipulate him. 'Edward', the mate of the human girl - as crazy as that was - who was telepathic, was unable to read James' mind.

He was a total and complete block.

"He'd be a great tracker," Owen had told me. "If he was changed, and he learned, he'd be a great tracker. No one would be able to get the handle on him, and he could just slip in and out unnoticed."

My interest solidified.

So, I waited even more, Owen and my original, sole companion by my side, our expanding army behind us. My companion was getting restless, as was Owen though not as much since he was new to our little group, but I was patiently waiting in the shadows because now that I knew what James could be capable of, I wanted to see what he was _already_ capable of.

Besides, what self respecting human blood drinking vampire didn't enjoy a little chaos, destruction and fear?

This was all three wrapped into one, as I'd find out when I'd followed James the night that he murdered the human girl he'd lured into the woods. That night, my lust for him spiked. Be it something physical or a desire to have him changed and be in my army, I wasn't sure.

All I knew was I was enjoying the game so far and as much as I couldn't wait to get what I wanted, I would enjoy the ride.

"Will you come on!" my companion hissed in my ear, glaring at me as he came to rest by my side. "You've been staring at them all day. Let's go before they catch us. We have to keep a distance."

"Yes," Owen drawled, his tone as low. "Besides, I'm getting hungry, Victoria. You know the only drawback of your plan to stay inconspicuous is that we have to hunt as far as Seattle."

I sighed, my red hair whipping as I turned my head to look at the coven one last night for tonight.

"Victoria!" my companion called edgily.

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the other two, leaping from the tree I was in to the one they were perched in a few feet away. "_Alright_, Laurent," I growled back, not at all impressed by his impatience. "I'm coming."

* * *

**Edward's POV:**

I had been wary of James Hunter since the beginning, even before I'd met him. When I'd laid eyes on him, and hadn't been able to have access to his mind, I had panicked even more.

I knew Bella thought I was overreacting - in her opinion, I tended to be overprotective and overreact each and every time something that poses even a miniscule amount of threat was around her. She hadn't understood how bizarre and unnatural it was for a human being, no less, to be such a void.

She had confided in me, once, at the very beginning when she couldn't see anything horrible about James at all, that she was ecstatic to know that she wasn't the only 'freak' whose mind I couldn't read. I knew that she had always felt as though there was something wrong with her mind, as though it was broken or different and that was the reason why it was closed off to me. It had bothered her for years, even if she didn't exactly want her thoughts to be open to anyone.

I didn't know how to explain to her that the way her mind was closed off to me and the way James' mind was closed off to me were completely different.

With Bella, it was as if it was just silent. Peaceful, calm. Like the way one would witness the stillness of the world, sitting atop a hill on a beautiful clear night. It wasn't alarming, it just…Was.

With James, it was like static. It was as though something was blocking me, something dark. There was always a sense of foreboding every time I tried to get a read on him and failed, like I simply wasn't seeing something that was right in front of me and it was going to be my downfall.

Now that I was being proven right…I wish I wasn't.

Who would've thought that James would be so…_Dangerous_?

The book, the medication, the shrine, the gift…He had showed up at our house just hours ago. He had actually been in this house when Bella had been alone in it.

That last one made me shudder.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt Bella shiver. She pulled herself closer to me, snuggling into my side. I could see the worry etched on her features, practically smell the fear in her scent.

I wrapped my arms more firmly around Bella, my fingers drawing patterns on her back. It was already past her usual bedtime but she was still wide awake. Perhaps everything that had transpired today had wound her up.

In any case, I just let her lay next to me in silence, not urging her to sleep unless she was ready to close her eyes.

Rose hadn't even come barging in demanding that I get the hell out of Bella's room since she didn't want us 'sleeping together'. Of course, I could - unfortunately - hear Emmett distracting her next door, but I was trying to block that out of my mind.

Bella scooted closer to me on her bed, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Edward?" I heard her soft voice call out quietly. I turned my head to look at her, struck once more by the beautiful color of her deep chocolate eyes.

She paused for a moment when she looked at me, and I knew it was because of my eyes. I knew they were darker than they had been just an hour ago. It wasn't because of thirst, however. She knew that, too. It was because of my anger, my worry, my frustrations over everything that was happening.

"Is everything going to be okay?" she asked, real concern coloring her quiet tone.

I had lifted her thin body up and laid her down on top of me before she could blink. My arms held her to my cool body, gently but firmly. One hand kept running through her soft, long hair.

"Yes," I answered her firmly. "I know that I can't say this surely considering Alice can't see the future of this situation but I assure you, Bella. I will never let anyone take you from me."

I felt her shiver again, though I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the temperature of my body - she had gotten used to our body temperature years ago. She was possibly the only human in the entire world who felt more comfortable with cold walking corpses than warm alive bodies.

I felt her smile as she laid her head back down on my chest, her cheek pressed against my shirt. "I wish that Carlisle's police friend would have enough evidence to arrest him," Bella sighed.

The hand I had on her back curled involuntarily into a tight fist, her sleep shirt bunched up in my fingers. "I wish I could tear him to shreds," I muttered angrily, all the conflicting emotions I was feeling about our tight spot flooding back to me.

Bella lifted her head and placed one small, feminine hand on my cool cheek. I blinked my eyes - which I knew had to be coal black by now - at her touch, the warmth surprising me even now, and turned my head slightly to press a gentle kiss to her palm. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent near her wrist.

"Don't, Edward," she whispered, her deep dark brown orbs shining as she gazed at me. "I know you're angry-"

I shook my head, coming out of my Bella-induced stupor. "I'm past simply angry," I muttered, sitting up, Bella still curled on top of me, and running a hand through my messy hair.

I made no move to remove her from my lap and she made no move to do it herself, which I was thankful for. Instead, she maneuvered her body so that she was straddling my lap more comfortably, her long, lean legs wrapped around my waist.

"You don't understand, Bella," I insisted. "You are my _mate_. You are my life, my everything. This….This pathetic human decides that he could just threaten the life we are going to have together! Threaten our forever…It's unacceptable."

Despite my angry words, Bella started to smile. Her hand on my cheek started to caress my marble skin.

I gave her a confused look. "What?" I asked confusedly.

Bella shrugged, a soft smile playing on her full lips. "It's just…It's not very often that you would talk about the eternity we're supposed to get together," she explained.

Well, that was true.

Normally, I would be much more depressed about it all, drowning in my sorrow and guilt. No matter how many times Bella would assure me that her life would have no meaning without me and our family, I wouldn't be able to really believe her.

I would listen to the voice inside my head instead of her, borne out of my insecurities and all the angst I'd felt for decades before she came into my life, telling me that one day, Bella would grow to resent me for missing out on an actual human life like she deserved.

"It's a refreshing change," Bella was saying. I blinked a few times, coming back down to reality and focusing on her words. "Even if it is fuelled by your temper…I feel like sometimes I'm the only one between the two of us who has faith that we're meant to be together forever."

My arms around her slim waist tightened considerably, just enough not to cause me pain. I dropped my head to the crook of her neck, my lips pressed to the bare skin there, exposed to me because of the tank top Alice had insisted she wore.

"I'm sorry I ever made you feel that way, love," I apologized, my voice soft and repentant. A shiver wracked through her body, momentarily distracting me. "I don't have doubts about us. Not a single one…I just have doubts that some day, you will regret me. And I can't bear that, Bella. I can't."

Bella's soft lips pressed to my forehead, her warm hands cupping my cheek and lifting my head so that she could look into my eyes. There was a steely determination swimming in her eyes, making them seem darker than usual. "I would _never_ regret you, Edward Cullen," she told me fiercely, her voice shaking with emotion. "Why would I when you are…The best thing about my world? Don't ever say that again. Don't ever think it."

My hands flew to her head, bringing her close to me and pressing fervent kisses all over her lovely face. "Nothing will take you from me," I promised her in the most steady voice I could manage. "Not James, not whatever it is that's going on in Seattle…Nothing. I can't bear it. I won't lose you, Bella."

My voice had cracked slightly at the end and Bella shushed me in a soft, soothing tone, running her hand repeatedly through my perpetually messy hair. "Edward, you won't lose me," she assured me. "Yes, this is a new kind of threat but we'll still stay together through it all."

I pulled back and gave her a small smile. "I'm supposed to be the one comforting you," I mumbled.

Bella chuckled slightly, shaking her head. "It's not how a relationship works, Edward," she chided gently. "We comfort each other. You're doing wonders just being with me."

Without preamble, I flipped her onto her back and ran my nose along her jaw, taking deep breaths of her beautiful scent. "I love you, my Bella," I whispered, my eyes fluttering close as I held her.

When I felt her shiver again, although I knew it had absolutely nothing to do with being cold, I smiled against her neck and asked, "Cold?"

"Nah-uh," she replied in a playful tone, her fragile human arms locked as tightly around me as possible as though she wished to anchor me there with her.

"Don't worry, my love," I murmured against her skin, my lips brushing against her pulse. "I won't leave you."

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Captain Matt Sung's phone call to Carlisle.

And two weeks had passed since the principal had called a morning assembly to announce the disappearance of Kayla Hendricks.

The police hadn't given out much information, just that there were no suspects as of yet and no clues as to where Kayla might have gone the night she disappeared. They were urging friends to come forward if they knew anything.

I could read it in the minds of the investigating officers, however, that they had one suspect very clearly in their minds: James Hunter.

The fact that three women, all between the ages of seventeen to twenty-two, had disappeared in and around Forks since James had appeared in this small town, not to mention the added suspicions of his involvement in all of those disappearances back in New York City…James was a very closely watched suspect.

They had brought him in for questioning, but he had provided an alibi: a friend of his in Port Angeles who owned a garage. It was a shady alibi provided by a shady friend, but it was an alibi nonetheless.

None of the other humans - teachers, students, townsfolk in general - knew about James being taken in, since the cops investigating Kayla's disappearance were very discreet about things.

"But the cops are going to find something on him, right?" Bella asked as we exited the Volvo, Thursday afternoon right after school. "They think he did it?"

I nodded. "Yes, but they don't have any evidence yet," I reminded her.

"Why can't they just search his apartment? If Carlisle tells his cop friend about what Jazz and Rose saw…"

I was already shaking my head as she spoke. "They need a reason to get a warrant to search someone's home, Bella…Besides, it's not as if Carlisle could just reveal to his friend how two of his children know about what's inside their suspect's house," I sighed, drawing my arm around her waist and pulling her closer to my side. "We'll have to wait, I suppose."

Bella didn't look like she found that particular option very appealing, either. "I hate this," she muttered, scowling. "What if he really did take Kayla? What if she's out there, hurt and needing help? Shouldn't that be reason enough?"

I didn't answer her questions. I knew that the probability of Kayla Hendricks still being alive, after over two weeks of being missing, were pretty slim.

"Honey, you've got mail," Esme kissed Bella on the cheek and handed her a large, thick brown envelope as Bella dropped her bag on the floor and curled up on the couch.

Bella frowned as she flipped the envelope, scanning it front to back. "Who's it from?" she asked. "There's no return address."

I shot a look at my mother, who seemed as concerned as I was. "Another one?" I asked through clenched teeth, just as the others filed in through the front door.

Rosalie caught sight of the envelope first. "James sent you something else?" she inquired, eyes flicking to Bella.

'Gifts' from James had been appearing in the mail. They had all started out innocent, mixed CDs, love letters which I had shredded before she could read all of it, candy and flowers…A few days ago, things had taken a turn for the worst, however.

Instead of candy, she received feathers, painted red with what Jasper said was dried pig's blood. Instead of music, she received locks of silken dark mahogany hair, knotted together with stringy light brown. Instead of fresh, red roses, she received black, rotting roses, maggots crawling all over them in the box.

That last one, she hadn't opened herself. Esme had smelled the decay the moment the mail man had delivered them, and it had been taken away immediately, _thank God_.

Bella shrugged, already tearing at the seal. "I don't know," she muttered. "No return address."

She reached into the open envelope, pulling out a small, white slip of paper. She unfolded it, reading the words with wide eyes, her hands starting to shake.

"I've been following you, seeing into what you do, almost knowing for sure what you think. It's only fair that you know what I think about all day."

"Alice," she called out. "Could you…Could you please?" she nodded at the envelope. She would've asked me, I supposed, since I was sitting right next to her, but I'd read the words over her shoulder and my eyes had gone pitch black since now I knew that James had sent it. I was pretty sure I'd rip the envelope in two if she'd asked me.

Alice nodded, darting forward and grabbing the envelope from her lap. She overturned it, glossy pictures falling out and plopping onto the coffee table.

The very first one showed a picture of Bella and James, walking arm in arm down the street, Bella laughing and smiling, gazing adoringly at James. Only the head was a little disproportionate to the body, and this event had never taken place at all.

James had snapped pictures out and about in town with her vampire boyfriend, and had edited it so that it was his own face gazing right back at Bella.

The rest of the pictures were a variation of the first one, all Photoshopped - some were of Bella and me together, out and about in Forks or in Port Angeles, strolling or at a restaurant, Bella was eating and I was talking to her, except none of the faces were mine. Some were of us in my car, kissing before the bell rang for first period like we did sometimes, only James' blonde hair and smug expression was the one plastered to Bella's sweet one.

Some weren't even of me and Bella, but of scantily clad women and practically naked men in compromising situations, their faces replaced with Bella's and James'.

There were also quite a few pictures just like the first one, just a photo of Bella, taken during inopportune moments, like a shot of her from the neck up as she showered in a stall in the girls' locker room bathroom at school, the picture slightly hazy due to the shower steam, (a crunching noise alerted me to the fact that I'd snapped the TV remote in half) or a picture of her taken from a sniper shot.

"Oh, God," Bella said, throwing the pictures onto the table, pushing them far from her. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I was already grabbing at the glossy photos, intent on throwing them away. She didn't need to see physical proof of this boy's mental illness any longer, and I certainly didn't want any of those pictures in the house.

I was about to throw them into the fireplace when I was stopped. "Edward, stop," Carlisle's voice rang out. I looked up, surprised. I hadn't even noticed him entering the room.

Surprise turned into frustration. "Carlisle, these pictures-"

"I know what those pictures are, son," he interrupted me. _I was right here with all of you. I saw them, too_. Before I could ask him why, then, didn't he want me to get rid of them, Carlisle had spoken again, "My friend, Captain Sung, is coming over."

Bella's head snapped around to look at him, eyes wide. "What? Why?" she was terrified, that I could smell clearly.

Carlisle sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I called him earlier," he admitted. "You know how I said I threw out those…_Gifts_ that James sent you?" Bella nodded. "I lied. I sent them to Sung, as evidence. He's coming over to get a statement from you, then we can work on a restraining order."

Rosalie scoffed, crossing her arms. "A restraining order?" she sneered. "You think that would work!"

Our father figure shrugged, reaching me and tugging the pictures gently out of my grasp, probably worried that I'd grip them too tightly and ruin them. "Maybe," he said smoothly. "James Hunter is human, Rosalie. A restraining order is exactly what humans use to keep their equally human stalkers at bay."

Rosalie scoffed again, and looked away, shaking her head as though she disagreed with him, but she didn't say anything else.

Carlisle looked down at the pictures in his hand, flipping them over do that he wouldn't have to see any of the disgusting images. "He'll be here shortly, so why don't you just go upstairs? Relax for a while…I'll call you when he gets here," he suggested to Bella.

Too freaked out to protest, Bella simply nodded. She stood up, grasping my hand and tugging as hard as she could. I stood up and followed her, not needing any persuasion. I knew she must be scared, and I wanted to comfort her in any way I could. If that meant staying in her line of sight for the moment, I'd gladly do that.

She sank down on her bed the moment we reached her room, flopping backwards and uttering a weary sigh as she stretched out. "This…Is…" she shook her head from side to side, squeezing her eyes tightly. "It's not real."

"Sweetheart?" I inquired in a low murmur, perching on the edge of her bed and helping her to remove the sneakers she'd insisted on wearing to school - the argument she'd presented Alice with was that if James decided to come after her with an axe, she could run faster if she was in sneakers compared to heels. Alice hadn't been impressed and I was hardly pleased that Bella had turned her situation into a joke, but we were running late as it was and Bella had won. Barely.

"It doesn't seem real," she said again, rolling to her side and propping her head up with her palm, elbow pressed against the mattress. "It's like some sort of creepy horror flick. Or an episode in one of those cop shows which are, I have to admit, surprisingly addictive. I never thought a thing like this could happen in real life."

The corner of my lip curled up slightly. "I don't want you to worry, love," I said, reaching out to smooth my fingers through her soft hair.

Bella sighed again. "Unfortunately, worrying comes so very naturally right now," she quipped. We stayed there, just staring into each other's eyes, for a long moment. Finally, Bella blinked and looked away. "Where's Lilly?"

"What?"

"Lilly," Bella repeated, sitting up. "She comes right up to me every day after I come home from school…She's not here."

That was true. The orange cat that I had given Bella so many years ago was as fond of my love as Bella was of her. It was never far from where Bella was at all times, and every day, when Bella came home from school, Lilly would come forward, brushing her furry body against Bella's legs before jumping onto her lap and demanding a cuddle for some time.

Either she was psychic or she could tell time or she'd just gotten used to the routine, Lilly never failed to show, no matter where she'd been earlier.

Today, however, she was a no show.

I hadn't even noticed until Bella had mentioned her. She was now looking around the room, searching for her beloved kitty. "Lilly?" she called out, dropping onto her hands and knees after glimpsing into Lilly's empty cat bed and cat 'castle' playhouse. She peeked under the bed, only catching sight of the books she had placed there after running out of room on her bookshelves. "Lilly?" she called again, searching everywhere from her bathroom to the deepest depths of her closet.

"Edward, could you sniff her out?" she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. It sounded strange when she put it that way, like I was some sort of a search and rescue dog, but this was Bella, and she was on the verge of hysteria, so I nodded anyway. "Don't worry, love, I'm sure she's somewhere here," I said, kissing her on the forehead before going on my quest to 'sniff out' Lilly the cat.

Half an hour later, and Lilly was still nowhere to be found. Bella was actually crying by now.

"Hey, you think James took her?" Emmett suggested. All of us, congregated in the living room waiting for Carlisle's police friend and searching for Lilly all at the same time, turned to look at him questioningly. "Well…I read that stalkers sometimes kill the pets of people they're stalking. Maybe he snatched Lilly up and tomorrow we'll find her hanging by a rope somewhere."

I glared at him as Bella burst into a fresh wave of tears. "Not helping, Emmett!" I hissed under my breath.

"Oh, honey, that can't be it," Esme cooed, dropping onto the couch on Bella's other side, her arms going around my lovely mate. "That _can't_ be it. I was home the entire day. I would've noticed this human boy trying to enter the house…He can't have taken Lilly," she shushed Bella as she cried into her shoulder.

Emmett's eyes widened and he glanced apologetically at his upset little sister. "Uh…Sorry, kiddo," he mumbled awkwardly, patting her back. "Maybe she just ran away?"

That didn't soothe her, either.

Bella wiped at her eyes when the doorbell rang. Carlisle and Alice both jumped up - Carlisle to answer the door and Alice to grab a couple of tissues, working at vampire speed to make Bella look 'more presentable' for their guest.

A human man, around his late thirties or early forties, entered the living room behind Carlisle. I supposed, if I were a normal boy, Matt Sung would be intimidating to me. He was tall, and almost as big as Emmett, and his eyes were dark and intense. He could easily scare criminals.

Of course, vampires were a different matter completely.

Introductions were made, the captain blinking in shock when he saw Bella's red rimmed eyes and pink nose. _Wow, things must be really terrible here_, he thought. _She looks so distraught_.

He had assumed that Bella's previous tears were a product of James' stalking. In a way, if Emmett had been right about James abducting Lilly though I seriously doubted that, he was right.

"Carlisle, there has been some…_Progress_," the way he said the word, cringing as he spoke, told me it wasn't the good kind.

Carlisle had seemed to catch on to that, as well. "What kind of progress?" he asked warily.

I caught it in Captain Sung's mind a second before he said it out loud. I had to work hard to keep in the growl in my throat, fists clenching tightly on my thighs.

Sung sighed wearily, shaking his head. "The good news is…James Hunter is our official prime suspect," he said, his voice strong and reassuring. "A few people have been reporting his strange behavior - neighbors, one or two teachers…"

"Th-that's good, right?" Bella asked him, another tissue in her hand as she dabbed at her nose, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "You can catch him now."

Sung nodded, smiling comfortingly at Bella. "Yes," he confirmed. "And your dad's given me evidence of him stalking you. All the gifts? You can lodge an official report, get a restraining order if you want."

Bella's eyes went from me to Carlisle. At Carlisle's nod, Bella turned back to face Sung. "I'd like that," she said shyly.

Sung smiled. _Nice girl_, he commented. _Shame what's happening_.

Carlisle held out the envelope with all the pictures. "This came in today, Matt," he said somberly.

Sung noticed his tone, as well, and his smile fell off. He took the envelope from Carlisle, taking out the pictures with his gloved fingers. He looked disgusted at the pictures, his thoughts giving away his concern for me and Bella, for his friend, and the desire to catch James. I suddenly felt a strange surge of comradeship with this man.

"You can charge him just for this," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'll send this to the lab, dust it for prints." He placed the pictures back in the envelope, sighing as he looked back up. "Listen…You remember Kayla Hendricks?"

Carlisle nodded, leaning forward in his seat. "Have you found her?"

Sung shook his head, his expression haunted as he remembered a very recent conversation he'd had with Kayla's parents, the two of them pleading for him to find their daughter soon. I flinched away from his memory.

"No, we haven't," he admitted in a low voice, filled with disappointment and shame. He felt like if he was pushing himself harder, he could find her, but he just simply wasn't sure how to push harder than he already was. "But a friend of Kayla's…Jessica Stanley?"

Well, none of us in this house didn't know how Jessica Stanley was. She and a few of her wretched friends had tried going after me and both my brothers when we first moved here. When it became clear that Emmett and Jasper were involved, they had tried starting rumors of incest though no one bought it - it was a strange thing, foster siblings being involved romantically, but not illegal or morally wrong.

They had then focused their attention on me. Their envy and hatred had been plain ridiculous when Bella and I had finally gotten together.

"What about her?"

"She came forward," Sung revealed. "Said that Kayla called her minutes before she left her house, the night she disappeared. Apparently, James Hunter called her, wanting her to go on some secret date with him."

"And she fell for that?" Carlisle shook his head, frowning.

Sung seemed to agree with Carlisle. "I know…Kids these days," he ran his hand down his face. "No one else knew about this secret meeting, not even Kayla's parents. Kayla lied about where she was going. But we've got enough."

"Enough?" Rosalie questioned.

Sung looked more than a little taken aback at being addressed by my beautiful sister, but he recovered as quickly as he could. "Yeah," he nodded. "What Stanley said, and what with his involvement in the disappearances of the girls in the NYC…We've got a warrant to search his place and bring him in. We're going today."

"Now, listen," Sung looked at all of us then, trying to seem intimidating. The only one he could possibly have intimidated was Bella, but she wasn't a normal human, either. After facing crazy vampires turned too young, and the Volturi…She wasn't at all frightened by him, just shaken by what he'd said earlier about James. "No one else knows about this. Jessica Stanley was told to keep quiet about what she told us. Can you keep mum on this?"

The only reason, I glimpsed in his mind, that he had even revealed all of this to us was because of Carlisle.

First of, he wanted Carlisle to be in the loop - he trusted my father explicitly, and if it weren't for Carlisle, Sung believed he wouldn't have caught onto James so early anyway.

Secondly, since Carlisle had informed him of James' current obsession with Bella, he wanted all of us to understand just how serious the situation was and how dangerous James Hunter was. He wanted us to be on alert. He wanted _Bella_ to be on alert.

Everyone nodded. "Of course, Captain," Esme replied sweetly. "Anything to help you catch him."

Sung blushed slightly, even more taken by my mother. Age differences, I supposed. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, standing up and shaking hands with Carlisle.

"Call me for an update?" Carlisle inquired politely.

Sung nodded. "Of course," he turned to look at Bella. "You be careful now, Ms. Hale."

Bella blushed but nodded. "Yes, of course."

We watched Sung leave, Carlisle showing him out and wishing him luck, and waited until the cop was out of the door and safely in his car, pulling out of our driveway, before we spoke.

"So…This is good, right?" Esme asked, her mind clearly worried though she tried to sound upbeat. "Once your friend catches James, it'll all be over?"

Rosalie seemed to agree with her. "Mom's right," she said, and even though we were in the middle of a dire situation, Esme couldn't help the sudden jolt of joy at being called a mother, just like she was every time one of us said it, no matter how many times it happened. "They have a warrant now. They'll see all the creepy stuff at his place…"

"Plus there's Jessica coming forward," Bella added, her fear waning now. I could see it in her eyes. She was still shaken, but she was getting stronger. "That would help, right?"

Emmett snorted a little. "Who knew Jessica Stanley would be the one to help in a police investigation?" he joked.

While the rest of them were trying to convince themselves and each other that this really was the end of the road for James' presence in our lives, I was focused on Alice.

Alice's eyes were distant, unseeing to the world around her, her mind lost to flashes of a possible distant future. I watched her, watched her mind, and sighed heavily.

"No," I said, my voice breaking through all the others'. They turned towards me, Jasper's apprehension as he stayed close to his distressed wife spreading throughout the room. "I don't think this is the end at all."

* * *

**General POV:**

Matt Sung approached the suspect's apartment building, flanked by three of his officers - Stevens, Medina and Jackson. An arrest warrant was in his hand. As they stepped out of the elevator on the tenth floor and made their way towards apartment 10B, Sung fingered his gun, unsnapping the holster so that he would have easy access to it if he needed it.

He shoots a warning look at all three of his officers as they reached the door, silently reminding them as always to be on alert and to be careful.

Raising a fist, he knocked loudly on the door. "James Hunter? Seattle PD. Open up!"

He waited a few seconds before knocking again, frowning as he received no response. "Hunter, it's the police! Open this door!"

When another few calls for Hunter to open the door didn't get any response, Sung nodded to Stevens, easily the biggest guy amongst them. Stevens didn't even hesitate before knocking down the door. All four of them barged in, guns at the ready.

Sung stayed in the living room, moving about to check every crevice of the small space, before heading to the kitchen. "Kitchen, clear!" he called out to the others. Eyeing the kitchen, he soaked in every detail. It was plain and boring, the only odd thing about it were the bottles of glue and the scissors and cut out pieces of paper on the table.

Moving back into the living room, Sung lowered his weapon and looked around. Catching sight of the huge bulletin board stuck on the wall, he moved towards it. Half of it was empty, small pieces of paper stuck to it like someone had ripped out whatever was on it in a haste.

It looked like James didn't finish ripping off the entire contents pinned to the board because the other half was still there, the edges of some of the pictures frayed at the edges where they had connected to the ones that had been ripped out.

Pulling a disgusted face, Sung realized that the pictures were all of Isabella Hale, her face plastered all over. "Sicko," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"Bedroom, clear!" Stevens shouted from beyond the living room. Sung turned around, looking to see if his officers were retreating back to the living room.

"Bathroom, clear!" Jackson yelled.

"Uh…Guys?"

Medina's shaken voice pulled Sung away from the living room. He followed Medina's voice, past the bedroom where he could see Stevens still rooting around, and past the bathroom. He entered what appeared to be a second bedroom, though there wasn't a bed in there at all.

The room was darkened. The curtains were closed, the yellow sun outside contrasting with the red fabric to tint the room a dark reddish orange. There were candles everywhere in the room, the ones near the entrance to the room put out but the rest still lit. A single rectangular table was in the middle of the room.

"It's a shrine, sir," Medina observed, shaking his head. "Typical stalker."

Sung noted the pictures and the locks of hair, his mind flashing back to the things James had sent to Carlisle's little girl. "Call CSU," he ordered Medina and Jackson. "I want this place turned upside down."

"Yes, sir."

Stevens entered the room behind them, looking a little flushed. "Sir," he said to Sung. "We've got a problem - Hunter's closet's empty."

"Wait - he made a run for it?" Jackson guessed incredulously.

"Impossible," Sung growled. "No one knew about us coming here." _No one_, he reminded himself. _Except for the Cullens…No_, he shook himself out of it. _I trust Carlisle. There's no way_.

A second later, he remembered that Jessica Stanley was the one who's come forward about James Hunter in the first place. _Maybe she blabbed?_ Promising himself to pay her another visit to ask her, he turned back to Stevens. "You sure he's gone?"

"He took everything, sir. James Hunter's on the run."

Clenching his jaw, Sung whipped out his cell phone, dialing the number for the station. "Yeah, it's Sung…Put out on APB on James Hunter."

* * *

As you can tell, this isn't the last chapter of this story. When I said '50 chapters', I think I confused some of you. This is Chapter 50 including all the author's notes and whatnot. There are still a few chapters to go, along with an epilogue, considering James' storyline, Victoria/Laurent storyline and Bella's change has to be addressed. There are **six chapters and an epilogue **left.

As for what 'Owen' said about James' ability: I always figured that, as a tracker, James was more lethal than the average vampire. In the series, Edward was able to read James' mind and everything, which I didn't particularly enjoy when I read it though I understood it completely - if Edward hadn't been able to glimpse into James' mind, he wouldn't know that James was a tracker and after Bella. But here, I wanted it to be different. I always thought that James would be more lethal if he was closed off to other abilities, able to move like he wasn't there at all.

By the way, I just had to tell you about one of my all time favorite stories here on this site. It's simply amazing. It's called '**the Secret Keeper**'. It's completed and there's an equally _amazing_ sequel called '**the Wisdom Seeker**' that I'm constantly on the edge of my seat for. It's by **A.E. Giggle**. Now, bear in mind, it's a crossover for Harry Potter and Twilight, but TRUST ME when I say it's not a lame attempt. In fact, reading the Secret Keeper and the Wisdom Seeker is like reading a work by J.K. Rowling herself. I'm not kidding. It's got wit, it's not American, Bella and the Cullens didn't change Harry Potter's history, they have their own story in the war, they interact with all the HP characters so flawlessly…It's simply brilliant. I don't know why she doesn't have tens of thousands of reviews. I think it's because people see 'Harry Potter crossover' and are turned off, maybe because they've read so many lame attempts before (I know I can't write a good crossover between these two amazing worlds) but this is different. Please give them a try, you will not regret it.

I hope you'll bear with me on this, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.

Thank you for reading, and for all of you who reviewed - you were the sweetest.

Juliet.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N:** On to the next one.

I was re-reading the last chapter and there were mentions of Seattle PD, and Captain Matt Sung…I'm not changing that aspect of the story but I do remember a reviewer telling me once that Seattle PD wouldn't have jurisdiction in Forks. I sincerely didn't think of that when I wrote in the SPD and Sung, and I had a 'drats! Can't believe I missed that!' moment but I have plans involving the SPD that wouldn't work as well if I just used the couple of deputies a small town like Forks must have. I hope no one minds this fiction faux pas…

**Disclaimer:** SM owns it all.

**POVs:** 3rd person

* * *

3rd person POV

Two weeks into the search for James Hunter and SPD were still coming up short. It seemed like he had simply disappeared.

The past fourteen days had been incredibly difficult for the Cullens. Not only did they have to deal with the constant worry about James Hunter – whose decisions were still blurry to Alice – they also had to deal with the police surveillance detail outside their house.

Due to James' current obsession with Bella, Captain Sung believed that if James were to make an appearance, it would be to meet up with Bella. Therefore, there was a squad car sitting outside of their property every day and every night for the past fortnight.

However, with no word from James or any sightings of him, Captain Sung had been forced to take off the surveillance detail. He'd offered to keep a squad car watching over the Cullens' house if Carlisle was worried but the vampire patriarch had convinced his friend that they were fine – they'd 'installed security cameras' and would be able to catch James' entrance into their land if such a thing were to occur. Of course, what Carlisle's human friend didn't know was that they hadn't installed any cameras and had merely begun paying more attention to their surroundings, anticipating James' arrival.

As a result of the police detail that had staked out the house for two weeks, none of the Cullens were able to act like their true selves. This meant no blurring at lightning speed to get one from place to another, no wrestling vampire style and no hanging around outside whenever even a slight bit of sunlight showed. Bella, who was more used to them acting like vampires than humans, found it pretty funny that they had to limit themselves in their own house.

Now the search had definitely cooled, the squad car was gone and the Cullens were taking advantage of that.

Edward, Alice, Carlisle and Esme were leaving for a hunt – they hadn't gone the longest out of the family – while Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were staying behind to protect Bella if need be. She was a little torn between being insulted that he didn't think she was capable of taking care of herself for a day, and relieved that she wouldn't be alone. As long as James was still out there, she was unnerved and afraid that he might return.

Frankly, she thought all the police investigations and plans made by her family (they'd considered three options: they could either help the cops, find James themselves or flee Forks the moment attention was lifted from their family) were making her more paranoid than necessary. She kept thinking of all the horrible possibilities, her fear and paranoia fuelled by theirs.

She had a feeling that James was long gone – after all, he had been gone for two weeks, his apartment abandoned and not a single thing sent to her from him since – and all she wanted was to forget about all of this and move on. But Alice was obsessed considering she still couldn't see James' future which meant she couldn't rule out the wearisome possibility that James might just be biding his time until he could return for Bella.

"Edward, really, I'll be fine," Bella said for what felt like the hundredth time in the past fifteen minutes, her exasperation showing in her voice. "Your eyes are pitch black – you _need_ to hunt."

Despite the fact that he was clearly straining for control, standing almost on the other side of the living room from her and holding his breath in an effort not to breathe in her tempting scent, he was still reluctant. "I don't want you to be alone," he murmured, as quietly as he could without being inaudible to Bella.

"I won't be alone," she insisted. "I've got Rose and my brothers here…" She made a move to step towards him, but his tense posture stiffened even more and she stopped. "Baby, look at you…You should go, Edward. You'll have your cell with you. I'll be able to reach you if anything were to happen – not that it will," she added hastily. The last thing she wanted was for him to get strange ideas about what horrible things that might happen to her while she was gone.

He sighed. "I'll be gone the whole weekend," he reminded her. "I'm not even staying in Washington."

She nodded. "And though I'm not crazy about you being a hundred miles near Tanya Denali," she joked, causing him to almost smile. "I still think you should go…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "Alice will be going, too. If Tanya decides to show, Alice can protect you."

He rolled his eyes. "I meant...I know you're still jumpy about James…"

She tried not to show how startled she was by his comment. Time and time again, he proved to her that he didn't need to be able to read her mind to know what she was thinking and feeling.

"Edward, please," she sighed. "You're not doing me any favors by staying back."

"I don't have to go to Alaska," he bargained. "I could just hunt here…I'd be back by tomorrow morning. Earlier, if I hurry."

She shook her head. "You deserve some time with mom, dad and Alice," she assured him. "Go, and come back to me by Monday morning, okay?"

"Sunday night," he argued, a small smile flickering on his lips.

She gave him a loving look from across the room – a stand-in for a kiss for now. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

He blew her a kiss then flew out the front door to join Alice, Carlisle and Esme. They made their way to the woods surrounding the house, intending to run to Alaska since it would be faster for them traveling by foot instead of by car.

She sighed, making her way towards the kitchen to fix herself a breakfast sandwich. Rosalie was already in the room, sitting on the kitchen isle and flipping through a magazine. "You done with your little love fest with Edward?" she asked, smirking at Bella as she entered.

Bella rolled her eyes. "We were standing fifteen feet away from one another," she pointed out.

"That's a good thing," Rosalie immediately retorted. "Whenever the two of you are within two feet of one another, you tend to get a little too mushy…It's barf-worthy, really."

Bella gave her a look – which didn't do anything except make Rosalie smirk a little wider – and made her way to the fridge.

"Hey," Emmett called out as he entered the kitchen. Seeing Bella pulling out ingredients from the fridge, he groaned. "You're not about to cook, are you? It always stinks to high heaven for an hour whenever you do that."

"I'm in the kitchen…It's what this room is for," Bella pointed out.

Emmett ignored her, switching topics instantly. "Jazz and I are gonna have a wrestling match. Who wants to watch?" Throwing Rosalie a leering look, he added in a deepened voice Bella recognized as his 'call-me-sexy' voice (she shuddered just remembering _how_ she knew that), "If you come, I can promise toplessness within the first twenty-eight seconds."

Rosalie put down her magazine, her eyes and smile turning sultry as she leaned towards him. "I don't know," she said coyly. "Will there be nudity involved at some point?"

"Between you and me? Sure, yeah," he nodded. "Me and Jazz…Not so much."

Bella threw them a disgusted look as she slammed the fridge door closed, jolting their attention to her. "You two realize I'm still within hearing distance, right?" she asked. "I mean, that was disgusting."

Rosalie laughed. "Sorry, kiddo."

Bella frowned. "I hate it when you call me that," she sighed.

Emmett held up his hand. "Enough chit-chat," he said loudly. "It's time for us men to adjourn to the backyard, tear our shirts off and impress the ladies with our impressive, manly battle…And you ladies to sit back, relax and enjoy the show…"

Rosalie giggled but Bella rolled her eyes. "No, thanks," she said dryly. "I have a feeling I'm not actually going to enjoy watching my two brothers play fighting. You two go ahead."

"You sure?"

Bella nodded. "I'm just gonna make a sandwich and go up to my room to read," she assured Rosalie who took Emmett's hand, kissed him wildly and followed him out the backdoor.

Bella shook her head at the two of them, wondering if she and Edward were ever going to be that gross once they'd taken the final step in their relationship. _God, I hope so_, she sighed to herself.

Smiling at the thought of her future with the love of her existence, Bella took her plate of sandwich and ascended the stairs to head for her room. _I'm going to eat my sandwich, read Romeo and Juliet and watch some Vampire Diaries_, she thought to herself. _I'm not going to let myself think of anything but good things_.

* * *

The past two weeks had been pure _hell_.

That frizzy-haired, loud-mouthed gossip queen from the high school had blabbed to 'a few' people from town about Kayla Hendricks' call to her. Now the town was suspicious of him and the police were going in for his arrest. He had overheard, of course, and he'd fled with some of his possessions.

He had far too little time to rid his apartment of all evidence of his relationship with Bella. Grabbing what he could – some of his surveillance equipment and a few of her belongings to tide him over until they could be reunited – he ran.

He couldn't be around Forks for a while until the whole thing had cooled slightly. He still needed a way to keep an eye on his beloved and make sure she was alright, so he'd employed the help of one of his pals to watch her and the situation.

The moment his buddy had contacted him to inform him that the police had called off any active searches for him, and gave him the all clear to come back since Bella was no longer kept under lock and key, he'd rushed back to Forks.

He made it by Saturday afternoon.

Because of how everything had gone down these past few weeks, James needed to be more careful with his actions. He knew that because of the police getting involved, the Cullens would be on edge. No doubt they had filled Bella's head with lies about how _he_ was the bad guy when Cullen was the one who had been keeping her locked up tight as though she was his prisoner. He had to move carefully to free Bella and win her over.

There was this huge tree almost a hundred miles away from the Cullens' property. It was mostly hidden from view from the house unless he climbed up all the way to the top and used his binoculars or the magnifications on his camera. This was a plus for him. Not only was he out of sight from any of the Cullens, he also had easy access to view Bella – most of the house was made up of glass and windows. It was far too easy to get a good look at her.

Thankful that he had grabbed some of his best equipment from his old apartment before he'd been forced to flee (and don't think he wouldn't be paying Miss Jessica a little visit soon, either), James sat on his perch at the very top of the tree.

He figured out that Edward Cullen wasn't in the house within his first hour of watching Bella, and neither were Bella's adoptive parents or that weird, crazy short chick who was always looking at James as though he was irritating her with his very presence.

He considered just going up to the house to see Bella (that blonde chick might be a bitch but she didn't look like she could fight well) but there were two other guys in the house: Bella's adoptive brothers. The big burly guy James wasn't crazy enough to go up against even on his best day and the blonde's twin who might look like he was wiry but scared James just the same each time he saw him.

He studied the house for hours, ignoring the pain in his legs or the numbing feeling in his arms as he held his camera up too long. He only lowered the camera after Bella had completed her evening shower and changed into a pair of red sweats that fitted her perfectly – both of which were activities he'd managed to capture perfectly with his camera thanks to her decision not to close the blinds in her bathroom and the curtains in her room. He supposed she didn't expect anyone to be able to see her considering her house was covered by trees and forestry for miles, but he had a feeling she left the windows uncovered just for him, in case he'd come back for her.

_I know you miss me, too, lovely Bella_, he thought, a certain haze coming over his mind for a moment as he thought about her. Affection coursed through his body as he thought about the bond between them. _That's right, Cullen. Nothing could break us apart_, he smiled smugly.

Lowering the camera to his lap, he flipped through the newer pictures he had snapped of Bella. The anger he could feel pounding in his heart at having to abandon her and start all over due to that frizzy haired bitch seemed to subside slightly as he gazed at the photos. He had been so incredibly outraged that he'd have to leave everything behind. He'd felt as though he had nothing tangible of Bella's to hold onto. Nothing except a few mementos like a tube of lip gloss and a hairbrush he'd swiped from her bedroom that one time he'd visited, and a picture of her he'd cut out of the school magazine once.

Now, though, with these new pictures of her looking so radiant and beautiful, taken by James himself…He felt like he was getting back to their old routine. It felt good.

Satisfied with what he'd captured so far, James sighed as he considered leaving the house for the day. He'd return tomorrow, of course, but it was late enough at night for him to go into town and pay a visit to Jessica Stanley. They needed to have a little chat about what she'd done in her efforts to pull him apart from Bella.

_Jealous bitch_, he grumbled to himself. _I knew I shouldn't have given her the time of day. One shag and suddenly skank thinks I'm hers. Stay away from the crazy ones, James_.

He was about to climb down from his perch when he heard a loud crash. _What the hell?_ James thought to himself, his head automatically snapping to the sky. Though it was dark and he could barely see anything in the skies, James was sure that it wasn't a sign of rain. For one, it didn't sound like thunder but more like two boulders clashing together.

Again, the strange sound boomed, ringing in his ears, and James' head spun towards the direction it had come from – the Cullens' house.

_Bella_, he thought in panic. Nothing bad could happen to her. Not now. Not when he was so close to getting her.

Fumbling for his binoculars, he zoomed in on the house, searching up and down and left and right until he'd found the source.

_No. It can't be possible…I mean…How can it?_

Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, James watched as the two Cullen brothers, Emmett and Jasper, crashed into one another in the living room, just a few feet away from the couch area. He could see the video game controllers scattered on the floor by their feet, one broken as it lay near an opposite wall. The room itself looked as though a tornado had ripped through it, pillows torn and scattered everywhere, picture frames crooked on the wall, broken glass and cracked TV screen…

As Emmett and Jasper collided with one another – Jasper with a playful smirk on his face, Emmett with an annoyed scowl – the loud sound was heard yet again.

They were interrupted, by an irate looking Rosalie. Bella, an amused smile on her face, trailed behind her. James couldn't see what Rosalie was saying, but she gestured wildly with her hands and her mouth moved at rapid speed – she was obviously yelling at them.

James watched, yet again, as the Cullen brothers showed off more of their abnormalities: moving at lightning speed, they went about the room, clearing the mess they'd made. James swiped his camera quickly and, using the video function on it, he taped Emmett and Jasper's quick movements.

All thoughts of Jessica Stanley left him as he stayed on his perch on the tree. For once, his attention wasn't on Bella at all, even if she was right there in front of him. Instead, he focused his attention on getting video footage of the Cullens. Rosalie seemed as abnormal as her boyfriend and twin brother (he'd gotten some great footage of her with Bella on her back as she scaled the side of the house all the way up to the roof) but Bella seemed completely normal.

_Don't worry, my sweet_, he cooed to her in his mind. _I'll protect you even if you're as freaky as your siblings_.

He stayed for hours, and though he didn't get much more on the three Cullens after that, he was glad he'd stuck around for daybreak. As the sun rose into the sky, Bella, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper sat out on the deck overlooking the river. James noticed that Bella was the only one with breakfast in front of her. The sun glittered up in the cloudy morning sky, and the Cullens glittered supernaturally down below.

He knew for a fact now that they weren't human. At first, when he'd caught Emmett and Jasper moving so fast, he'd thought maybe he was exaggerating just how fast they were moving in his mind, and maybe they were just on steroids or something. Emmett certainly fit the bill and James had always had his suspicions about him, anyway. But glittering skin under the sun wasn't a side-effect of steroids or any kind of drugs that he knew of.

Which begged the question: what were they?

Bella clearly knew and had no qualms about it. She hadn't panicked when Rosalie picked her up as easily as though she was a ragdoll and climbed the wall of the house to the roof, and she hadn't panicked sitting next to her brothers and sister as they sparkled in the sun. In fact, she looked pretty calm, eating her eggs as though it was a perfectly normal day for her.

He taped an impromptu wrestling match between Emmett and Jasper, where they used their super speed once more and fought like pros instead of two brothers goofing around, then shut off his camera, climbing down from the tree. He would've stayed longer but his camera's battery was dying and needed to be recharged.

He made his way towards his buddy Stan's place; his newest hideout. Stan had inherited the house when his old man had finally croaked (he was an only child so it wasn't like it could've been passed down to anyone else) and had reluctantly allowed James to hang out for a while. He knew about the police chasing after James but the only reason he had let a wanted man live with him for the time being and not call him out on it was because James had helped him out of a tough spot once and he owed the guy.

Using Stan's computer, James viewed the material he'd gotten on Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie. Footage of her joining in on the wrestling match told James that she was a much better fighter than he'd given her credit for. In fact, if they were to go up against one another, James wasn't sure he'd win at all.

He made several copies of the video. Marking the clear plastic cases with the words 'The C's, evidence', he hid them in several hard-to-find places; just in case.

"Hey!" he heard a gruff voice call out and jumped. He turned to see an irate Stan walking into the living room, red-faced and grease-covered. "You used my computer? Man, I told you not to do that."

James rolled his eyes as Stan, paranoid freak that he was, went to close the shades on the window. "Would you relax?" he snapped. "I didn't do anything that could be traced back to me. Just made some copies of a video I took today."

"Look, I don't wanna know about what you did or whatever," Stan held up his hand. "I don't wanna know anything about this chick you're obsessing over."

"It's not an obsession," James growled, glaring at Stan. "She loves me, too."

"Yea, whatever," Stan rolled his eyes. "Like I said – I don't wanna know. And I don't care. James, cops came by my shop again. They keep asking about you. They're lookin' at me now because I told 'em you had an alibi that night that other chick disappeared. Man, I knew this is gonna go south, I just know it is. I shouldn't have gotten involved!"

James stood up, arms crossed over his chest as he glowered at Stan. _Whiny, no good weasel_, he thought. _I've gotta do something about him before he wimps out and rats me out or something_.

"They'll leave you alone soon," James promised.

"Yeah – not soon enough," Stan retorted sharply. "I can't go back to jail, kid. I know I owe you but I'm already in enough trouble on my own. If it gets out that I'm helping you, it's the third strike and I'm gonna get thrown back in. I can't have that. Got my own honey now. I've gotta think about her, too, y'know?"

James stayed silent.

"Look, man, I'm cool with you hanging out here a couple more days but then you've gotta go," Stan said apologetically, holding his hands up as though he was defending himself. When James started to protest, Stan said, "It's not just me. I know I said the cops are coolin' off on the search but you're still a wanted man. That Bella chick has a pretty powerful dad, dude, and the cops aren't gonna let this one go. You need to leave town – for good this time."

James stared at Stan. "No," he said firmly. "They can look all they want, but they don't have any proof that I'm here. They don't know where I am."

"They already know I'm involved somehow," Stan pointed out, his voice growing louder. "Look, I don't know if you're gonna leave Washington or not but you can't stay here for much longer, okay? Cops aren't believing anything I'm saying these days and they keep coming back, asking me all sorts of questions…" Stan shook his head, his voice breaking at the end. "I'm sorry, man, I really am. But you gotta go."

James was almost trembling in blind rage and panic. He didn't know anyone else in Washington; at least, no one he knew well enough to help him. In New York, he'd had plenty of friends. It was how he'd gotten away scot free for so long there. Here, everything was different. Even Stan wasn't as reliable as James would've liked.

Now the cops were on his trail, Stan was kicking him out and, if James didn't find another place and a new ally within the next few days, he'd have to leave Washington.

_I can't leave her_, he thought frantically, raking his hands through his hair. _I can't do it again. It was torture last time and it had only been for two weeks then. If I'm forced to leave again, who knows how long I'd have to stay away, or if I could ever return in the first place?_

Remembering Bella's conversation with her friend Angela about thinking of sunny places she'd like to go to for college with Edward, James panicked even more – if she were to move away and he couldn't trace her whereabouts, he could lose her forever. That was just unacceptable.

_I have to move and I have to move now_, he thought decidedly.

"Okay," he sniffed. "Okay. Here's what we're gonna do…"

"_We_?" Stan questioned, throwing James an incredulous look. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I'm not doing anything more for you. I've already let you crash here for a couple days and I gave you an alibi. I've been lying to the cops about not knowing where you've gone. I can't do anything else."

"It won't cost you much," James insisted. "Trust me, it's gonna be okay."

"No. No, I'm sorry, dude, I just can't. I mean, what if something goes wrong? What if something else happens and-"

"Shut up!" James yelled, his voice growing pitchy as he raised it in anger.

Stan grew quiet. Even though he was older than James by a few solid years, James was capable of darker, more dangerous things than he was. Age wasn't something that deterred James and age didn't dictate Stan's fear. He had to admit, if only to himself, that his fear of James _did_ play a part in his decision to allow James to stay with him for a while.

Lowering his voice, James adopted a voice that would've been soothing had his words not come out sounding so rushed and desperate. "Look, you don't have to do much, okay?" James assured Stan hurriedly. "Remember what I said about copies of the video?"

Stan's eyebrows furrowed together as he stared confusedly at James. "What does a video of the chick you're obsessing over have to do with anything?"

Glaring at Stan, James said, "It's not of her. It's of her family. They were doing some…Things," he said vaguely.

"Things? What things?"

"Things they wouldn't want other people to find out about," James said snappishly, annoyed at Stan's questions.

Stan, assuming what anyone would, looked stunned. "The doc and his family are dirty?" he asked. Whistling, he shook his head. "Even the good guys are crooked these days. Gotta love that."

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever," he stalked forwards towards his backpack he'd thrown on the couch. Rummaging through it, he pulled out his Glock. He checked to see if he had a full clip inside. "If things go the way I plan it to, I'm gonna text you. If you don't receive word from me in an hour, here's what I need you to do. I need you to do me a favor and send those videos out."

"Send them out to who?" Stan asked confusedly.

James shrugged. "The media," he said. "Post it on the internet. Heck, mail it to the cops, whatever. I don't care. As long as people see it, I'm good."

James tucked his gun into the back of his jeans. Stuffing his camera and binoculars into his backpack once more, he informed Stan of where he'd hidden the copies of the video. He'd taken the original with him in case he couldn't rely on Stan and needed to do things himself. "I'm gonna do this now," he said to Stan. "Better now than when the cops come knocking here."

Swinging the straps of the backpack onto his shoulders, James said a final goodbye to Stan. He had spent hours in front of Stan's computer, reviewing the footage he had taken of the three Cullens, printing out photos of Bella (which was stashed in his backpack as well) and trying to do research online on what the Cullens were. He hadn't been able to find anything, but the time wasted had done him good: it was now night time, which meant James didn't have to worry much about being seen out and about. The small town of Forks went to sleep at nine thirty and by the time James reached the Cullens, it was almost midnight.

He stopped by the huge tree he'd been perched in just that morning. Pacing, he muttered to himself, wondering what he should do now. "I could just storm the place," James thought aloud. "I have a gun. I've got twenty rounds in here – more than enough to take out three of them. They can't do anything…"

He was about to step towards the looming house when he halted. "But wait, wait, wait, wait…" he murmured. "What if they use their super powers on me? My gun's not faster than their speed, is it? What if they dodge the bullets?"

After all, when he'd caught them using their super speed earlier, he hadn't been able to catch most of the things they did until he'd gotten back to Stan's place and slowed down their movements on the computer. He couldn't match their abilities.

He shook his head. _Even if they try to outrun me, I have leverage_, he thought to himself.

His jaw set, James headed towards the house, determined. He only had a few hours left before sunrise and he really needed to be as far away from Washington by then, Bella at his side. _I hope she's not going to make this hard on me, _he thought, as though threatening her in his mind.

Reaching the big house, James hurried up the front steps and moved to bang on the front door. His gun in hand, he raised his free hand, curled it into a fist and rapped it almost angrily on the wooden door.

It swung open not three seconds later, a confused Rosalie on the other end. When she saw James, her eyes widened. _Seriously?_ She thought, annoyed. _He came back? Idiot_.

"You wanna let me in?" James asked, pointing the gun at her.

Her gold eyes flickered to the metal weapon for a brief second before drifting back up to his face. "Not really," she sneered.

_They all have the same colored eyes_, James thought to himself. _All of them but Bella. Maybe it's a part of their freak nature_.

"Not afraid of my gun, bitch?" he sneered right back. "Gonna dodge my bullet with your super speed before it hits ya?"

She blinked at him in surprise, the cool mask she wore slipping for a fraction, long enough for him to catch it.

Nodding, he smirked at her. "Yeah, we need to talk," he said. It wasn't difficult to push past her in her shocked state.

He made his way into the living room, where he found that not only were Emmett and Jasper standing with their eyes fixed on the doorway as though waiting for him, but Edward, Alice and Carlisle were already back from wherever they'd gone the entire day yesterday and this morning.

"Where's Bella?" he asked, his eyes roving across the room quickly to find her.

"None of your business," Edward replied on an almost inhuman growl, staring at James with slowly darkening honey eyes. He hadn't expected this to be how his night would be. He'd pictured a blissful reunion with his Bella and the fact that James had ruined it made him angrier than he already was at the obsessive human.

He had just gotten back from his hunting trip with Alice and his parents barely an hour ago. They were supposed to be on their way back already when Alice had a hazy vision. She'd seen a cloud of darkness enveloping Bella's, Rosalie's, Emmett's and Jasper's future and had come to a conclusion – James was back. They'd rushed home, Esme had taken Bella upstairs so she wouldn't have to witness her stalker's return, and they'd waited for James to make a reappearance.

Carlisle had wanted them to handle things in the most human way possible. This meant that he wanted them to 'overtake' James in a way another human might be able to do, then call the cops and turn James in. He hadn't called them yet since a human wouldn't be able to know that James was going to show up.

Edward couldn't help but think that not calling the cops first was a pretty good move considering they might have to dispose of James now that he seemed to know something wasn't quite right with them.

_What does he mean by that?_ Emmett wondered silently.

_Edward_, Jasper called to him through his mind. _Is his mind still blank to you?_

To be discreet, Edward rolled his eyes upward then down in a subtle confirmation.

_Damn_, Jasper cursed.

"I want her to come with me," James said, his hand shaking slightly as he pointed the gun at Edward. "She's gonna come with me and we're gonna leave – right now."

Rosalie, who had joined her family in the living room with James noticing, snorted. "Yeah – that's not gonna happen," she said icily.

"I could start shooting, you know?" James threatened, waving the gun once. "You can move as fast as you want but I've got twenty rounds in here and one shot's all I need to take you down, bitch."

"Go ahead," Emmett taunted, causing both Rosalie and Carlisle to give him warning looks. "I'd like to see you try."

Carlisle, moving forward a step to draw James' attention to him, held up both his hands and tried to speak reassuringly to him. "Now, James, I don't know what you think you know but I can assure you my family and I are completely normal…" he said soothingly. "Maybe you have been imagining some things-"

James shook his head. "Don't try to screw with me!" he yelled. "I know what I saw – and I've got proof."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rosalie asked through gritted teeth.

Seeing her anger – and the flash of panic in her eyes – made James feel slightly smug. "I caught you on video," he gestured towards Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. "You were moving faster than humanly possible. Every time you collided with one another, you sounded like thunder. You destroyed a room and cracked a wall without any effort at all…She scaled the side of the house," he nodded at Rosalie. "You glittered in the sun…"

Giving them disgusted looks, he spat out, "You're not human, are you? None of you are."

Carlisle shared a brief, worried look with Edward and Alice.

"Except for Bella," James nodded, a small calm settling over his anger at the thought of Bella. "She doesn't belong with you. She belongs with me."

"You're right – she totally belongs the raving psychopath," Rosalie muttered.

"Shut up!"

"She can help you pop your pills and when you're inevitably thrown into the psych ward, she'll visit you daily…"

"Rose," Alice warned in a low voice. "Now is not the time for this…"

Rosalie ignored her. "Now, I can't promise conjugal visits but at least the sight of her could tide you over for the time being," Rosalie continued on mockingly.

James yelled out once in frustration, glowering at her. "Shut up!" he screamed once more. His finger pressed the trigger, the shot ringing loud and ominous in the too-quiet room. There was a loud scream of fear that sounded far away, as though it was coming from upstairs. He panicked for a nanosecond but looking up at Rosalie, he realized he didn't have to worry about killing off all the Cullens.

Rosalie stood completely unharmed, an irritated expression on her face as she stared at the burnt hole in her shirt.

Alice seemed just as upset as she was. "Okay, that was new and expensive," she said, throwing him a glare. "You've just ruined a five thousand dollar top. Hope you got your sick jolly out of it."

James stared at her disbelievingly. His eyes trailed to her feet where a small, crushed piece of metal lay unmoving. _That was the bullet I'd shot her with_, he thought incredulously.

"You can't be killed…?"

Emmett chuckled, and the sound seemed dangerous despite Emmett's dimpled grin. "Oh, sure we can," he dismissed. "Just not by _you_."

James shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he insisted. "I've got copies of that video and it's hidden somewhere you'll never find. If I don't text him to tell him I got out of here fine, my friend's gonna make sure the whole world sees that video and when they do, your secret will be exposed."

Sneering at them, James continued, "I don't know what the hell you are nor do I wanna know. All I need is Bella. Give her to me and let us walk away and I'll consider not showing anyone the video."

_I know she's upstairs_, James thought confidently. _That scream had to be hers_.

Before James could blink, Jasper had blurred in front of him, snatch the gun from his hand, twisted his arm behind his back and knocked him out on the head.

As James crumpled to the floor, unconscious, Jasper turned towards his adoptive 'father'. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Carlisle frowned, thinking for a moment. "Check his bag," he said finally. "Maybe there's information he's carrying around in there."

Edward glanced down at the unconscious boy for a moment before turning to rush up the stairs. He didn't need to have Jasper's ability to know that his mate was upset and worried about what was going on downstairs. Though she knew that none of them could get hurt by a gun, that wouldn't make her any less anxious until she knew what had happened and that everything was fine.

Bella was sitting on the edge of her bed, a worried frown marring her face as she stayed curled in Esme's arms. The moment she saw Edward, she jumped up and rushed towards him. "Edward," she breathed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling his head down for a kiss. "Is everything okay? I heard…I thought it was a gunshot…? Esme said everything's fine now…Is James…?"

"He's not dead, Bella," he interrupted her panicked ramblings. "He's just unconscious. He brought a gun but he wasn't hurt. He tried shooting Rose."

Bella looked incredulous at that.

"Wait…Are you telling me…He knows?" her voice was a pitch higher than usual. "I mean, if he shot at her then he had to have known she's not…I mean, the bullet would have bounced off of her…"

He nodded, a grim expression on his face as he shared a look with his mother. "It appears he knew before he came here that we weren't normal humans," he admitted to Bella. "He caught Rose, Em and Jazz on tape yesterday doing some highly abnormal things."

Bella gasped. "What are you going to do?" she whispered worriedly. "He could tell anyone."

"Worse - he could show them."

"He caught it on video?"

Edward nodded. "You should stay up here, Bella," he told her. "Just in case James wakes up. I don't want you around him."

Bella scowled. "But I want to be there for you and the others…"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's wise," he said. When Bella looked like she was about to argue, he interrupted her before she could. "Bella, if he wakes up and sees you, he might get violent in an attempt to reach you. He could injure himself - or you. Please?"

Bella sighed, nodding.

He smiled, cupping her face in his hands and pressing his lips to her forehead. "I love you, sweet Bella," he murmured. "Mother…Would you stay with her?"

"Yes, of course," Esme replied, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Bella's shoulders once more. "I'll keep her updated on what's going on," Esme winked at Bella who smiled slightly at that.

Edward rolled his eyes good-naturedly before speeding out of the room and down the stairs towards the rest of their family.

Back in the living room, Rosalie had found the video footage of herself, Emmett and Jasper inside James' camera and was watching it with Alice, grim expressions on both their faces. "Well, he really got us," Rose commented dryly. "What are we supposed to do if he really has copies?" she asked, deleting the video from the camera once and for all.

"We have to find the copies," Jasper said, scrolling through the cell phone he'd found in James' jacket pocket. "Dammit, I can't find any information on where he's staying now…That's our best bet so far on where he's hidden them."

"Why would he hide them at his place?" Emmett asked as he rummaged through the things in James' backpack. "Wouldn't that where the police would look first?"

"Either he thinks the police won't find out where he's staying at now," Jasper said, slipping the cell phone back inside James' jacket pocket. "Or he thinks the police finding the video and learning that we're not human isn't a bad thing for him after all."

Rosalie growled out in anger_. I hate this pathetic scumbag_, she thought as she glared at the unconscious James. "I say we take him out now," she suggested, looking around at the others. "No one even knew he was back in town. We could dispose of him without anyone the wiser."

Carlisle stepped back into the living room, cordless phone in hand. "We won't be doing that, Rosalie," he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "I've already called Sung. He's on his way here. James will be taken care of the way any other normal human criminal would be."

"Any other normal human criminal doesn't have incriminating evidence that we're not human, Carlisle," Rosalie argued.

Edward sighed, running a hand down his face. "I can't believe I'm saying this – but Rosalie's right," he said, looking imploringly at his father. "We have to handle this our way."

Carlisle shook his head. "It's too late. I've already called the police…Besides, it's not in me to condone murder, Edward, you know that," he said heavily.

"Ay, pops," Emmett called out. "I know Rose already deleted that stupid video but do I leave these in here?" he waved a photo of Bella half-naked as she slipped into a pair of sweatpants.

Edward's eyes widened and he snatched the photo from Emmett's grip. "Emmett!" he hissed. "What's the matter with you! Don't go waving these about!"

Emmett gave him a look. "What? There's no one here but us and we've all seen Bella naked…Remember when she was seven and we went to Isle Esme? She thought it was so hot there, she couldn't bear to put on any clothes. Spent most her days naked in the water."

Edward rolled his eyes as Alice giggled, relieved for some humor during a time of distress. "She was a _child_ back then, Emmett, it's not the same thing," he said hastily.

"Leave those in the backpack," Carlisle said to Emmett, interrupting what was sure to turn out into a brotherly squabble if allowed to continue. "But check to make sure there's nothing in there concerning our…Abnormalities."

Emmett flipped through the photos quickly. "Nope, nothin'…Oh, wait, here's one," he lifted a picture of himself, Rose and Jasper sitting on the deck with Bella, the three of them glowing and looking incredibly out of place next to a human Bella. "Wow, kinda hard to look manly in this light…I think I pull it off quite nicely, though."

Jasper, who had been thinking of ways to find James' new place of residence, paused as he passed James' body. _There's a scent there_, he thought, growing excited at the prospect. _It's not his, no, definitely not…It's second-hand. Maybe I can trace _that_ scent instead?_

"That could work," Edward encouraged Jasper.

Jasper turned to Carlisle. "How long do you think we have before SPD comes bursting in?" he questioned.

"About half an hour – an hour, tops," Carlisle replied. "Why?"

"There's a second-hand scent on James," Jasper pointed out. "It's a cheap shot but I'm going to try and track it. Maybe he had a friend he was staying with. If I'm not back by the time they arrive, just stall."

"We could just say you're at a friend's," Rosalie pointed out.

Jasper shook his head. "James will say that I was the one who knocked him out cold," he reminded her. "I'll say I struggled for the gun. We need to make him sound crazy so they won't believe him when he blabs."

Rosalie snorted derisively. "He _is_ crazy."

Edward gave Jasper a questioning look. "Do you want some help?"

Jasper shook his head. "No, I'm good at tracking," he assured his brother. "You stay here with the others. When the cops show, you'd know best what to say to alleviate their suspicions if they have any."

"I see you arriving at your destination within forty-five minutes," Alice informed him helpfully. He smiled at her, sending a wave of gratitude her way.

Jasper kissed Alice goodbye then ran off, his senses on a particular high as he tracked the faint scent that had lingered on James Hunter's clothes and body. He tracked it to the forest near their house – it was strongest near a huge, tall tree – then out of Forks and straight into Port Angeles. This was where it got tricky considering Port Angeles was much more populated than Forks. Jasper caught a break when he caught the scent, stronger this time, at a closed mechanic's garage.

The trail stronger, Jasper found the plain, one-story house pretty easily. Slipping inside soundlessly, he snuck around without waking the snoozing young man on the couch. The first stop was the computer but he couldn't find anything on it except a few searches James had probably made on the web concerning 'glitter people'. All _that_ search had managed to uncover were articles on that Mariah Carey movie released a few years back.

He snooped through obvious hiding places – behind heavy furniture, underneath the couch cushions, behind the toilet – and found eight unmarked CDs in clear casings. The words 'The C's, evidence' on each clear casing told him he'd found what he was looking for.

As he slipped back into the living room, the young man on the couch shifted in his sleep. Mumbling something incoherent, he didn't even wake up when the notepad he was holding to his chest slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a loud 'plop'.

Jasper caught a few words on the notepad and darted forward. Snatching the notepad from the floor, he read the words the young man must've written earlier. "Places to look," Jasper murmured. Reading the list written below those words, he quirked an eyebrow. More than half of the placed he'd written had been 'hiding spots' for the CDs. There were three more hiding places Jasper hadn't found.

_That was easy_, Jasper thought to himself. Grabbing the three other copies, he tore the piece of paper from the notepad, crumpled it up and threw it in a trashcan twenty miles from the house, along with the CDs he'd broken into ten tiny pieces each.

He ran home, just in time as a squad car pulled up in front of the Cullens' estate, a grim-looking Sung stepping out of the vehicle.

Jasper slipped into the house, unnoticed by the human cops, and joined the rest of his family inside, his place next to Alice as usual. James was awake now, but tied up to a chair – no doubt Rosalie's doing. His belongings were by his feet.

As the police swarmed their house, taking James into custody, ignoring his desperate yells that the Cullens were supernatural and taking statements from the family, Edward wrapped Bella in his arms in a comforting embrace.

_Finally_, she thought to herself. _It's over_.

* * *

Yeah…It's not over. We haven't seen the last of human James and he's about to get even more psychotic.

First of – I know this chapter is shorter than usual. It's about 4000 words shorter than a usual Bella Hale chapter, and I'm so sorry about that but this is a good place for this chapter to end. The next part is very long and flows very well with the next 'Crazy James' incident (which I'm WAY excited about...It's one of those things you wish you could see play out on TV or something) so I really can't add that in here unless I want it to be twice as long as a usual Bella Hale chapter. Once again, I'm sorry.

Now, I'm very sorry for having all of you wait months for the next installation of this story so I'm not going to make any promises for the next chapter. It's better that way…I think.

Already re-working the next one (my Bella Hale muse came running back to me, thanks to countless hours of watching Psych…Shawn Spencer, I love you).

To tide you over, I'm posting the first 6 chapters of a Twilight/Charmed crossover story entitled 'Charmed: Redux'.

It's an idea I have that, admittedly, isn't very original. It's what the show 'Charmed' would've been like had Bella been one of the Charmed Ones, and there were four instead of three sisters. I have the story planned out until mid-way season 3 but I've only written the first episode (which are the 6 chapters I'm posting; I separated it into 6 parts because one episode's 73 pages long in one go) because I want to know if the story's good enough to continue. Don't worry, I won't post more for 'Charmed: Redux' until Bella Hale's completed in a few weeks (yes, I've said it. It will be over in a month).

So, please, if you could be so kind as to drop on over when I post and tell me how you like bitchy, witchy Bella, that would be SO awesome.

Thank you so much for reading this. Please, feel free to leave a line or two to tell me what you thought…

P.S. Yes, I know technically, in 2005 (which is when this would've taken place), the Vampire Diaries TV show wouldn't have even existed for four more years…It's fiction. Bear with me here, ladies and gentlemen…

Juliet.


End file.
